Flying

U.S. Air Force Returns F-15s to Service

posted: 26 November 2007 04:53 pm ET

: The U.S. Air Force is returning all its F-15 Eagles after grounding them following the crash of an F-15C on Nov. 2. Each F-15 will be inspected and cleared before returning to operational status. Credit: U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Brian Ybarbo

The U.S. Air Force is returning all its Boeing F-15 Eagle aircraft to service after grounding them on Nov. 3 after an F-15C broke up in the air the previous day while flying over Missouri.

Operated by the Missouri Air National Guard, the F-15C was flying on a training exercise at the time of the incident. The aircraft was destroyed, but the pilot -- a 10-year Guard veteran -- ejected and survived, suffering a dislocated shoulder, a broken arm and minor cuts and bruises.

The circumstances of the incident, which occurred near Salem, Mo., immediately led the Air Force to suspect that catastrophic structural failure caused the 1980-built F-15C to crash.

Releasing the U.S. Air Force's F-15s to fly again, Gen. John D.W. Corley, commander of the Air Combat Command (ACC), said the Air Force was accepting a degree of risk in taking the decision to return the Eagle to service.

"We accept this risk because of our overriding duty to provide unrivaled combat air power for the defense of our Country," said Gen. Corley.

The general sent a message on Nov. 21 to F-15 pilots, weapons systems officers and maintenance technicians outlining the actions the Air Force took following the Nov. 2 incident.

In his message, Gen. Corley said the decision to ground the Air Force's 666 F-15Cs, F-15Ds and F-15E Strike Eagles "was not made lightly. It was the right thing to do based upon the nature of this mishap."

Gen. Corley added: "The cause of the mishap remains under investigation. Air Force maintenance and operations professionals and industry experts are working with the accident investigation board (AIB) to examine all aspects of the mishap. At the same time, structural engineers have conducted in-depth technical reviews of data from multiple sources."

The U.S. Air Force decided first to focus on its F-15Es.

"They are the newest F-15s and have been exposed to less stress. They are structurally different than the A-D models. Problems identified during years of A-D model usage were designed 'out' of the E-model," Gen. Corley explained in his message to the Air Force's airmen.

"Given these differences, and after consultation with Warner Robins Air Logistics Center (ALC) and the AIB, we returned the F-15E fleet to flying status following successful inspections," he said.

Next, the Air Force turned its attention to the remainder of the grounded Eagle fleet, which are older aircraft than the F-15Es. Some of the U.S. Air Force's F-15Cs date back to 1979.

"The AIB is now focused on the area just aft of the cockpit and slightly forward of the inlets. Warner Robins ALC mandated a thorough inspection and repair of all structural components in this area," read Gen. Corley's message.

"I have directed each F-15 aircraft be inspected and cleared before returning to operational status," he added. "Today, ACC issued (a flight crew information file) and Warner Robins ALC issued an Operational Supplemental Tech Order to further direct and guide your pre-flight and post-flight actions," Gen. Corley wrote.

As of Nov. 21, the U.S. Air Force had inspected and cleared for flight 219 of the 224 F-15Es and 294 of the 442 F-15Cs and F-15Ds in its inventory.