F-15s grounded worldwide

[Raptor]

Apparently there was an F-15 crash in the US.

And they think it's a serious structural problem, so they grounded all their F-15s, and the other nations are following suite. Any truth in the report and what exactly is going on?

[tigershark]

Some info I found

Air Force grounds F-15s in Afghanistan after Missouri crash
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A mandatory grounding of Air Force F-15s has been expanded to cover those flying combat missions over Afghanistan after a crash in Missouri last week, Air Force officials said Monday.   he F-15Es in Afghanistan can fly only in emergency situations to protect U.S. and coalition troops in a battle, according to Maj. John Elolf, a spokesman for the U.S. Air Force Central Command.  Maj. Cristin Marposon, an Air Force spokeswoman, told The Associated Press the country's fleet of 676 F-15s, including mission critical jets, was grounded on November 3 for "airworthiness concerns" after the crash of an older model F-15C on Friday.
Link to Story
http://edition.cnn.com/2007/US/11/05/f15.grounding/index.html
___________________________________________________________________
Air National Guard Jet Crashes In Dent County
Created: 11/2/2007 11:10:03 AM
Last updated: 11/2/2007 10:05:24 PM
By CHERYL WITTENAUER
Associated Press Writer

BOSS, Mo. (AP) -- An Air National Guard F-15C crashed Friday in rural south-central Missouri after the pilot ejected, authorities said.  The pilot was flown to a St. Louis hospital and was in serious condition, a hospital spokeswoman said.

RAW VIDEO: Chopper 5 above the crash scene  )
The fighter jet crashed in a wooded area near Boss. The state highway patrol said no buildings were hit and no one on the ground was injured. The pilot is a 10-year veteran of the guard. His name and rank were not immediately released.   "When medical personal reached (the pilot), they reported he was alert, he was conscious and he was able to an answer questions," said Steve Lawhead, a Dent County sheriff's deputy.  The F-15C Eagle crashed on private property surrounded by Mark Twain National Forest.
Link to story
http://www.ksdk.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=133269

[Raptor]

Maybe it's sabotage? The F-15s have been flying for how long now and they only now start breaking apart. Thanks for the stories, nonpilot. And the one with the Jammed cables is how serious exactly?

[tigershark]

Hi Raptor
The one with the Jammed cables is pretty serious it's basically started this.   There are better articles on that crash I just found the first one I found just to show a little info on.  I'm sure if you went to the US Air Force web sites you'll be able to find a lot more on this topic.   

Some other info on this and one just on future F-15 sales
South Korea has not grounded its F-15K jets and are still keen to purchase more of the fighters from Boeing.
http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_national/248753.html

F-18s Aboard Persian Gulf Carrier Begin Filling in For F-15s Grounded in Afghanistan
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,308736,00.html

I hope this helps, nonpilot

[Cobra2]

Yeah I don't think this is right. Aircraft crash all the time but to ground the whole fleet?

I heard they are grounding all demo teams using F-15s!

[tigershark]

More I found

 USAF F-15s Expected To Fly Again Soon
 By GAYLE S. PUTRICH


Though the F-15 Eagle did not make it to the 2007 Dubai Airshow after a crash caused a worldwide grounding of the aircraft, U.S. Air Force officials attending the show said they expect the fleet of more than 700 fighters to return to the air very soon.
Lt. Gen. Gary North, commander of U.S. Central Command Air Forces said in Dubai that the Pentagon is working to get the E-model airplanes flying again, starting with aircraft deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan.
“We are working today to get the Es back up as soon as possible,” North said.
The Pentagon, in collaboration with manufacturer Boeing, is still investigating and has 60 days to determine the cause of the Nov. 2 crash of a National Guard-operated F-15C over Missouri that grounded the U.S., Japanese and Saudi Arabian fleets. The U.S. and Japan canceled a Nov. 5 joint training exercise because of the grounding.
“I anticipate the E will return to service very soon,” said Bruce Lemkin, deputy undersecretary of the Air Force for international affairs, who was also attending the Dubai Airshow. He said that while there is still a great deal of confidence in the F-15, particularly the E as the newest model, the incident demonstrated the importance of recapitalizing the fighter fleet.
“That was an airplane that was almost 30 years old,” Lemkin said.
Originally manufactured by McDonnell Douglas, the oldest of the U.S. Air Force’s F-15s have been flying since 1975. Boeing, which purchased McDonnell Douglas a decade ago, delivered the last F-15 to the U.S. Air Force in 2004 and is now working to upgrade some of the older planes.
Not every Falcon has stayed on the ground since the crash. North said surging other airplanes has not been enough to fill the need for airpower in Iraq and Afghanistan and that exceptions to the grounding have been made “more than once” and F-15s were launched to support troops on the ground in combat zones.
“We will meet our requirements in the [area of responsibility],” North said.
The most recent crash was the fourth of the year. An F-15 went down in Indiana in May, and two more in June — the first into the Pacific Ocean off the Oregon coast and the second in Arkansas.

Link
http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?F=3178928&C=america

[Cobra2]

I just read that its back in the air now!! woot woot!!

I knew my baby wouldn't be gone long 

[Raptor]

Wow. That was very scary. A moment of silence to all the dead F-15s out there, guys...
*moment of typing "moment of typing", effectively silent*
Planes don't really die, do they? Four crashes in such a shot time frame. I'm certain it's engineered.

Are you very sure, Cobra?

[Gripen]

Maybe the F-15's are trying to make a statement, as they are being replaced by the F-22.

Or maybe their just old and bad things happen when things get old, or older.

[Cobra2]

Yes I am pretty sure, heres some reference:


http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ned=us&q=F-15s+back+in+air

[Raptor]

Has any E's or newer makes crashed? As in more recently manufactured. Thanks Cobra.

Yeah, right, Grip.

[Webmaster]

Yeah, but not due to structural/fatigue problems.

One F-15K was lost quite soon after delivery because of pilot error. And I'm sure quite some USAF F-15E's have also been lost, I don't have the number though, surely not all pilot errors. Sh** happens.