Fighter Sweep
  • Home
  • Military Aviation
  • Air Force
  • Navy
  • Spec Ops
  • Expert Analysis
  • Careers
  • Photos
Home Previous Post Next Post
Follow @fightersweep

Missing flight data contributed to accident that made AC-130J unusable

June 5, 2016
FighterSweep Staff No Comments Military Aviation

A lack of flight test data was a contributing factor in an April 2015 accident that led to an AC-130J nosediving 5,000 feet in an inverted position before the pilots could recover, according to an Air Force Accident Investigation Board.

The flight datacould have helped the pilots better understand the limits of the aircraft’s handling while performing tight maneuvers. But defense contractor Lockheed Martin declined to provide the proprietary information without a contract, and the Air Force decided not to purchase it, according to the report.

The AC-130J was being tested by the 413th Flight Test Squadron at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. The crew was performing various maneuvers to collect data on the flight envelope of the aircraft, the report said.

The pilot performed a “sideslip” maneuver by lowering one wing of the aircraft and applying opposite rudder. The action is usually used to aid aircraft landing in a strong crosswind.

The cause of the accident, the investigation board said, was that the pilot pushed the rudder too far while performing the sideslip, and then didn’t apply enough pressure to the rudder to stop the plane from rotating once it started to go out of control.

However, the report noted, performing the sideslip and pushing the aircraft to its limits was the point of the test flight, and the pilot had been given special permission to carry out the maneuver.

With the flight data, however, the pilot might have had a better idea of when  control of the plane would be lost.

Read More- Defense News

Image courtesy of US Air Force

Related Posts

  • So long, Spooky: US Special Operations just took delivery of their first new Ghostrider gunshipSo long, Spooky: US Special Operations just took delivery of their first new Ghostrider gunship
  • Update: EgyptAir 804 May Be Accident, Not TerrorUpdate: EgyptAir 804 May Be Accident, Not Terror
  • Flight 804: Egypt Fails to Extract Data from Black BoxesFlight 804: Egypt Fails to Extract Data from Black Boxes
  • EgyptAir 804 – Second Black Box retrieved
  • C-130 Hercules: THE Great American AirplaneC-130 Hercules: THE Great American Airplane

Find Us on Facebook

FighterSweep.com

Sign Up
for the Newsletter

What’s Hot

  • July 3, 2022

    Russians Are Accidentally Flying Their Jets Into the Ground to Avoid Being Shot Down

  • July 4, 2022

    Spain Will Replace F/A-18 Hornets with NATO Eurofighter in $2.15 Billion Deal

  • blue-angels-reporter-blacks-out-passes-out
    December 5, 2017

    Watch: News Reporter Blacks Out on Ride with US Navy Blue Angels

Follow Us

Facebook Twitter Twitter

Recent Comments

  • Lars Dirch Sørensen This didn't age well.
  • Speir Mor Media Amazing history and pride in the old B-52! And that’s one hell of a range. [...]
  • disqus_lkVjMrnsGt As an 8th grader in 1960 I first became acquainted with the 1952 Washington [...]
  • SWS Irrational fears and misinformation is not a reason to get a waiver from a [...]

© Copyright 2022 SOFREP Media Group. All Rights Reserved.

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Advertisers