F-22 fighter jet scrapes tail on runway during Pearl Harbor anniversary causing $1.8million damage
An F-22 fighter jet used in a flyover
during a remembrance ceremony at Pearl Harbor scraped its tail on a
runway as it landed, causing $1.8 million in damage.
A
Hawaii National Guard spokesman says nobody was hurt in the incident
Friday morning on the 71st anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl
Harbor.
Lt. Col. Charles
Anthony says the jet was coming back to Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam
from a training exercise after taking part in the ceremony. He says the
'mishap' happened roughly 90 minutes after the flyover.
In jet terms, the damage to the F-22's horizontal stabilizers may be little more than a pricey fender-bender.
Anthony says it costs roughly $147 million to make one F-22 fighter.
The
nation's F-22 fighter jets were grounded for four months last year
after pilots complained of experiencing a lack of oxygen that can cause
dizziness and blackouts.
An Air Force advisory panel studied
the problem for seven months but couldn't identify the cause. The panel
supported a plan to keep the aircraft flying with pilots using special
sensors, filters and other safety precautions.
In May, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta
ordered that F-22 flights remain 'within proximity of potential landing
locations' so that pilots can land quickly in the event they experience
an oxygen-deficit problem.
The F-22, made by Lockheed Martin
Corp., is the Air Force's most-prized stealth fighter. It was built to
evade radar and is capable of flying at faster-than-sound speeds without
using afterburners.
Five
other bases are home to F-22s: Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska;
Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va.; Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.; Holloman
Air Force Base, N.M.; and Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla.
© Copyright 2012-2013 — Asian Defence News. All Rights Reserved
No comments:
Post a Comment