| Subject: Re: F117 still flying after it's "retirement" |
| From: "thomsona@flash.net" <thomsona@flash.net> |
| Date: 19/10/2010, 22:52 |
| Newsgroups: alt.conspiracy.area51,rec.aviation.military |
it seemed as if there was some question as to whether the wings and tail were designed
to be removable,
Ah. More looking around indicates that there isn't a question, at
least as far as the wings are concerned:
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B02EEDA1F3CF930A25751C1A961958260
National News Briefs; Stealth Jet Crash Is Laid To Maintenance Error
Published: December 13, 1997
MIDDLE RIVER, Md., Dec. 12— Military technicians who failed to install
four of five fasteners on the left wing of an F-117A jet caused the
September crash of the $42 million stealth fighter during an air show
in a Baltimore suburb, the Air Force said today.
A monthlong investigation by a five-member Air Force panel into the
crash found that the wings were removed and reinstalled last January
as part of a maintenance check. That was most likely when the four
fasteners were left off, according to an Air Force report released
today.
Two other maintenance checks, including one prompted by a pilot's
complaint about too much flexibility in the wing, failed to detect the
problem.
The pilot parachuted to safety with only minor injuries. No one on the
ground was hurt