Air Force investigators were unable to determine the root cause of the crash of a Hawaiian Air National Guard F-15D Feb. 1 about 60 miles off the coast of Oahu, citing “no clear and convincing evidence,” Pacific Air Forces said in a May 7 release. However, the members of the accident investigation board did find “sufficient evidence to conclude” that both of the fighter’s rudders failed in a mid-range position to the left, caused most likely by a failure involving the aircraft’s aileron-rudder interconnect. “This failure induced a yawing, rolling motion to the left that the pilot was unable to correct,” according to the statement. The pilot ejected, suffering only minor injuries. But the aircraft was destroyed upon impact, a financial loss of $43. 8 million, PACAF said. The F-15D was assigned to the 199th Fighter Squadron at Hickam Air Force Base. The pilot was flying a basic fighter maneuvers training mission when the mishap occurred. PACAF gave no indication that this crash was related to the midair breakup of a Missouri ANG F-15C in November 2007 due to a faulty structural support near the cockpit. That accident led to the grounding of all F-15 A to D models for a while, including the aircraft of the 199th FS.
As Air Force leaders consider concepts of operations for Collaborative Combat Aircraft, sustainment in the field—and easing that support by using standard parts and limiting variants—should be a key consideration, according to a new study from AFA's Mitchell Institute of Aerospace Studies.