Dual engine failure during a functional check flight caused the crash of an A-10C aircraft assigned to Moody AFB, Ga., on Sept. 26, 2011,
announced Air Combat Command officials Wednesday. ACC's accident investigators determined that the aircraft experienced a stall at 34,000 feet that quickly resulted in both engines flaming out. The pilot tried unsuccessfully to recover the aircraft. He then located a controlled bailout area and safely ejected, sustaining no serious injuries. However, the A-10 was lost. Valued at approximately $14.7 million, it went down on private property about 20 miles northwest of Moody. The costs of the environmental clean-up are estimated at $150,000. According to the investigators, the A-10's stall warning system had malfunctioned at 15,000 feet. Without evidence of additional malfunctions, the pilot elected to continue the flight. An FCF is flown to ensure airworthiness after major scheduled aircraft maintenance. (Accident investigation board
report; caution, large-sized file.)
Air Frame: Year in Review, August 2011: Three air commandos and 27 additional US service members were killed in a Chinook helicopter crash in Afghanistan on Aug. 6, 2011. On Aug. 24, the Air Force completed the KC-46A tanker's integrated baseline review, outlining the way ahead for the program. Two days later, USAF officially unveiled the F-35A strike fighter at Eglin AFB, Fla., home of the initial F-35 joint schoolhouse. That same day, several F-35s flew from Lockheed Martin's production facility in Fort Worth, Tex., to Eglin, shown here. Also in August, the Air Force temporarily lifted an F-22 grounding order so Raptors based at JB Langley-Eustis, Va., could escape Hurricane Irene. The Air National Guard's C-27J transports began operating in Afghanistan for the first time. And, President Obama signed the Budget Control Act of 2011 into law. Air Force photo