Flightlines

F-15 crash site photos

November 30th, 2011 | Air Force Airframes Flightlines Photos | Posted by David Larter

There is nothing cool about losing a $30 million aircraft. But a couple good things did come from the F-15 crash near Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., in October: the pilot ejected without injury and Airman 1st Class Daniel Hughes managed to snap some nifty photos of the cleanup process.

You can read more here. Click on photos to download the high-res version.

Airmen from the 820th Red Horse Squadron recover parts from a crashed F-15 earlier in November. // Airman 1st Class Daniel Hughes

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Pilot-error, bad policies cited in T-38C Talon crash

June 16th, 2011 | Flightlines | Posted by Markeshia Ricks

An investigation has found that pilot-error caused a T-38C Talon to crash  at Ellington Field, Texas on Feb. 14.
Capt. David M. Cook,  a pilot with the 14th Flying Training Wing at Columbus Air Force Base, Miss., was flying the air craft when  he apparently mistook the landing runway, lost altitude too quickly and allowed his airspeed to fall below a safe level,  according to a press release from the Air Force.  His fatigue also was cited as part of the reason for the crash.
The crash occurred while Cook was flying during the fourth sortie of the day as a night solo continuations-training sortie into Ellington Field, near Houston, on a squadron cross-country mission, according to the Air Force.

Cook’s error resulted catastrophic damage to the T-38′s landing gear and right wing.

Damage to the T-38 was assessed at $2.1 million. The impact also caused minor damage to the runway, but no damage to private property.
The investigation also cited inadequate operational risk management of the cross-country weekend plan and a culture of risk tolerance in the squadron. 

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