According to the executive summary of the Accident Investigation Board that reviewed the May 21 crash-landing of a T-1A Jayhawk at a commercial airport in Lubbock, Tex., there were two main causes: windshear and pilot error. The summary cited the “severe windshear” that hit the aircraft as it was turning on a circling approach to the airport as the first reason causing the aircraft “to descend rapidly and land short.” Second, said the summary, there were “multiple pilot errors.” The mishap instructor pilot and mishap first pilot, both assigned to the 47th Flying Training Wing at Laughlin AFB, Tex., were on a mission qualification training flight to familiarize the MFP with the area for his role as a new IP. The AIB listed the pilot faults as “ignoring warnings, poor mission planning, inattention, complacency, lack of procedural knowledge, and restricted vision,” which the AIB said “combined together to place the aircraft in the dangerous weather environment.” The Air Force estimated aircraft damage at $3.7 million, with another $41,000 needed to remove fuel-contaminated soil at the airport.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth vowed to undertake far-reaching reforms on the way the U.S. military buys weapons, promising a sweeping overhaul of the way the Defense Department determines requirements, handles the acquisition process, and tests its kit. The fundamental goal, which Hegseth underscored in a 1-hour and 10-minute speech…
