aviation accident
2006-09-15 12:13:44 · 3 answers · asked by abuzaid 1 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Aircraft
The Air Force has decided to destroy its entire fleet of 110 T-3A Firefly training planes, which were grounded in 1997 after crashes that killed six people.
2006-09-15 12:32:56 · answer #1 · answered by Comfortably Numb™ 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's called the T-3 Firefly, not the T-67.
Believe it or not, I was going through ground academics to fly the T-3 when it was grounded. It was grounded in August, 1997. I was at Lackland AFB, TX. It was grounded on a Friday afternoon. I had just completed academics on the Friday afternoon, about to take my dollar ride which was supposed to be the following Monday morning when the entire fleet was grounded. They kept us around for two weeks to see whether or not the T-3 was going to be allowed to fly again. It was a fun two-week vacation in San Antonio!
Here is another kicker. My sister is very good friends with the widow of one of the guys killed. He was an instructor pilot on the T-3 at the Air Force Academy when he and a student entered an inadvertent spin. She was pregnant with his child when he died.
What's even more wild is that when I finally went to JSUPT at Vance AFB, one of my best friends there was the roommate of the guy that was killed alongside my sister's friend's husband. Small world, isn't it?
I have personal friends of mine who were instructor pilots on the T-3. There were known flaws with that aircraft. If you IM me I will gladly elaborate.
2006-09-17 00:42:50 · answer #2 · answered by Kelley S 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I assume you mean the spinning accidents.
From what I recall, it was NOT a problem with the aircraft, but improper spin-recovery technique.
2006-09-15 19:40:15 · answer #3 · answered by aarcue 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋