4 F-15s with cracks based in Oregon

[unhappycamper]

4 F-15s with cracks based in Oregon
The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Dec 11, 2007 7:31:56 EST

KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. — Four F-15 fighter jets in Oregon are among eight in the world found to have potentially disabling structural cracks, military officials say.

The nation’s F-15 fleet was grounded after one of the fighters crashed in Missouri on Nov. 2. Inspections of grounded jets have turned up some with cracks in the longerons — parts of the fuselage near the canopy that hold much of the aircraft’s weight.

A military accident investigation board has found defects that indicate potential structural damage in the rest of the fleet, according to an Air Force Web site in a posting dated Monday from Langley Air Force Base, Va.

In Oregon, all 25 Air National Guard F-15s stationed at Kingsley Field in Klamath Falls have been inspected, Col. Tom Schiess, 173rd Fighter Wing base commander, told the Klamath Falls Herald and News.

Schiess said he does not know when flights at Kingsley, a training base for F-15 pilots, will resume. The base has 19 instructor pilots and averages 12 to 15 students at any given time.


Rest of article at: http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2007/12/ap_oregonf15s_071211/