F-15s once again cleared to fly

2nd grounding of jet since Nov. 2 crash has ended


F-15s once again cleared to fly
By Bruce Rolfsen - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Dec 3, 2007 21:39:59 EST

After a second grounding, F-15 Eagles were back in the air Monday.

As of Monday afternoon, 87 of the service’s A, B, C and D-model versions of the F-15 had undergone an inspection of the metal struts that support the jet’s cockpit, according to Air Combat Command. Altogether, the Air Force has ordered that 442 F-15s be inspected a second time.

Once each jet passed inspection, it was cleared to fly.

By Monday, F-15s were again flying at bases such as Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., where the 33rd Fighter Wing resumed training in the morning, a unit spokesman said.

The F-15s were grounded Nov. 29 for a second time after fleet-wide inspections turned up two Eagles with cracks in the longerons that reinforce the cockpit area. Similar cracks had also been found in the F-15C that broke apart Nov. 2 while on a combat training missions. That crash prompted a Nov. 3 order to ground all the jets and the initial set of inspections.

Just as the Air Force had cleared about 90 percent of its Eagles to return to flight, the second grounding was ordered on Nov. 29.


Rest of article at: http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2007/12/airforce_F15_Resume_071203w/