Navy grounds 10 Hornets after cracks found in hingesBy Dale Eisman
The Virginian-Pilot
© November 8, 2008
Navy inspections of the wings of nearly 500 F/A-18 Hornet fighter-bombers have found only a handful with cracks to the hinge of a critical flight control surface, the service said Friday.
Ten of the 476 planes inspected had defects serious enough to force their grounding, said Lt. Clay Doss, a Navy spokesman, and only two of those were among the 112 Hornets now deployed overseas. Another 20 planes were allowed to remain in service pending repairs but their use will be restricted, Doss said.
The cracked surfaces are in hinges that control the movement of ailerons, a part of the back edge of each wing that can be moved to cause the plane to roll in flight. The Navy sent out a bulletin two weeks ago ordering inspection of all its Hornets for the defect and is continuing to look for what caused the problem.
Doss said that parts on hand will be used to replace the cracked hinges and that the work can be done aboard ship for aircraft that are deployed, reducing their time out of service.
Source
http://hamptonroads.com/2008/11/navy-grounds-10-hornets-after-cracks-found-hinges
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