Structural fault not suspected in F-15 crash

[unhappycamper]

Structural fault not suspected in F-15 crash
The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Feb 5, 2008 6:30:00 EST

HONOLULU — A structural defect similar to the one that grounded all F-15s in November is not suspected in the crash Friday of an F-15D off the coast of Hawaii.

Brig. Gen. Peter Pawling said the F-15D was intact before the crash 60 miles south of Oahu and had passed a safety inspection three weeks earlier. The pilot, whose identity has not been released, was able to eject safely before the crash.

The grounding of all F-15s came after a model broke in two during a training flight over Missouri, injuring the pilot. An investigation concluded that a defective aluminum beam in the frame cracked.

Another probe found that more than 150 of the military’s F-15s also had the flawed beams.

“The airplane was still in one piece,” Pawling, who is commander of the Hawaii Air National Guard’s 154th Wing, said of Friday’s crash. “There was no inflight breakup.”


Rest of article at: http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2008/02/ap_f15_080204/



uhc comment: Previous thread on the crash --> http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=259&topic_id=10851