Crash Under Investigation; Flying To Resume Today

A US Air Force pilot is counting his blessings after ejecting from a doomed F-15C Eagle Friday morning, northeast of Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada.

In response, commander of the 57th Test Wing, Brig. Gen. Gregory J. Ihde, grounded the wing's based aircraft for the weekend. He expected the base to resume normal operations this morning, Monday.

The pilot was recovered safely and flown back by helicopter to the base for a post-ejection medical checkup. He is a member of the 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron (TES) at Nellis and was on what Ihde described to Las Vegas newspapers as a normal training flight.

The photograph (USAF photo) shows an F-15C of the squadron, not necessarily the actual mishap plane. The squadron badge, appropriately enough for a test squadron, resembles a gremlin, armed with .45 and dagger, but it's actually a bat, from the squadron's initial assignment in World War II: night fighting.

The squadron's planes are among 140 aircraft based at Nellis that were grounded by Ihde. Transient aircraft, including 120 aircraft that are at Nellis to participate in a Red Flag joint exercise, are not affected.

The 422nd TES is responsible for operational testing and tactics development for several aircraft used by Air Combat Command: A-10, F- 15C, F- 15E, F-16C, and F-22, and the Air Force Special Operations Command's HH-60G helicopter.

One item known to have been under test on the F-15C is a helmet-mounted weapons sight, the Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System (photo: F-16 pilot of 422nd with the system, 2003), but F-15C tests are believed to be concluded.

An accident board will be convened to investigate the accident. A March 18th F-16 accident at Nellis remains under investigation. That pilot also ejected safely, after a problem on takeoff.

The F-15C Eagle remains the USAF's front-line fighter-interceptor today, and the Air Force will depend on them for years to come, but most of them are already fifteen to twenty years old. The F-15's planned replacement, the F-22, is making slow progress; its high cost is one of the most serious limitations on early adoption of the new airplane.

The F-22 is undergoing operational test and development at the same Nellis squadron.

FMI: www.af.mil  www.nellis.af.mil