We speculated last August that NAS Oceana, Va., would not close when Congressional defense powerhouse Sen. John Warner (R-Va.) took up the cause during BRAC 2005 deliberations. And, in fact, the BRAC commission did issue somewhat of a reprieve, giving Virginia time to work out encroachment issues. However, according to the DOD inspector general the state and the communities around Oceana have reneged on their side of the deal. The BRAC law required the IG to certify by June 1 whether “specified actions” were taken to mitigate the “incompatible use property” within one of the jet base’s crash zones. The IG’s May 24 report says the “actions taken, however, did not satisfy the criterion.” So, is the ball back in Florida’s court?.
The crash of a T-38 trainer jet this May—which caused a weekslong pause in flights across the fleet—was caused by an improperly installed pin for one of the jet’s horizontal stabilizers, according to a new accident report released Oct. 30. When the pin disengaged midflight, it created the slightest amount…