Says Planemaker "Should Have Known" Of Fatigue Problems

The Missouri Air National Guard pilot who suffered severe injuries when his F-15C broke apart inflight during a November 2007 training mission has sued Boeing, claiming the company "should have known" the aging aircraft was "defective and unreasonably dangerous."

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports Major Stephen Stilwell, 37, was at the controls of the fighter that broke apart at 18,000 feet over south-central Missouri. He was able to eject from the aircraft, but suffered injuries to his left arm and shoulder in the process -- requiring a 10-inch metal plate to be inserted.

A pilot for Southwest Airlines, Stilwell says he continues to suffer from chronic pain from his injuries.

As ANN reported, the Air Force ordered its F-15 fleet grounded in the days following the November 2 accident. Newer model F-15E Strike Eagles were returned to duty soon afterward, but officials ordered inspections of older models.

Those investigations uncovered structural beams in several older-model F-15s that weren't up to spec. Investigators also discovered one of the accident aircraft's four cockpit longerons -- which support the fuselage during high-g maneuvers -- was thinner that design specifications called for. Subsequent inspections throughout the entire USAF F-15 fleet uncovered a wide range of issues with other longerons -- including those that were too thin, or had surface imperfections that could place too much stress on the structure. The flaws on some beams were relatively minor, though others had larger problems.

Nine other F-15s were found to have cracks in their longerons, similar to those found on the accident aircraft. The Air Force has since returned all but 161 F-15s to active duty, and it's unclear whether some of those jets will ever fly again

The Air Force is now deliberating whether Boeing -- which took over McDonnell Douglas Corp., the original manufacturer of the affected F-15s, in 1997 -- should be held responsible for repairing the fighters, many of which are over 20 years old. But Stilwell has already made up his mind.

"Boeing knew or should have know that the F-15 as manufactured allowed and permitted for catastrophic flight break-up," says Stilwell's suit, filed by attorney Morry S. Cole in US District Court last week.

The pilot also claims Boeing failed to notify USAF and Missouri ANG officials of "the likelihood of excess stress concentrations, fatigue cracking, structural failure and in-flight aircraft break up as a result of the structural deficiencies."

FMI: www.af.mil, www.boeing.com