T-38s must be inspected before flying again

4 dead in 9 days
2 crashes appear unrelated


T-38s must be inspected before flying again
By Bruce Rolfsen - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday May 7, 2008 19:07:20 EDT

Air Force T-38 Talons face a mandatory inspection of their wing ailerons before returning to flight.

Late Tuesday, Air Education and Training Command announced the end of the mandatory grounding of its approximately 500 T-38C Talons. The judgment also covers about 50 Talons assigned to other Air Force commands. The planes had been parked since the afternoon of May 1.

However, before each Talon is cleared for flight, the Air Force is mandating a one-time inspection of the jet’s ailerons. These are the outer wing flaps that control the jet’s roll to the left or right.

A witness to one of the crashes leading to the stand down reported the T-38C was rolling over prior to crashing as it tried to take off April 23 from Columbus Air Force Base, Miss.

The decision by AETC commander Gen. William Looney came after “initial findings” of investigations into the April 23 and May 1 fatal crashes of T-38Cs indicated the causes of the accidents were not related. Prior to the two fatal crashes that claimed the lives of two instructor pilots and two students, the there had not been a fatal Talon accident since 2003.


Rest of article at: http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2008/05/airforce_talon_crash_update_050708w/