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US grounds F-15 jets after crash US grounds F-15 jets after crash
(about 4 hours later)
The US Air Force has grounded its entire fleet of F-15 fighter jets after one of them crashed on a training mission in Missouri last week. The US Air Force has grounded its entire fleet of F-15 fighter jets after a jet crashed on a training mission in Missouri last week.
Use of the planes will be restricted until a possible structural failure in the aircraft has been investigated, an air force spokesman said.Use of the planes will be restricted until a possible structural failure in the aircraft has been investigated, an air force spokesman said.
The US has about 700 F-15s in service, including a number in Afghanistan. The Air Force has 676 F-15s in service, including a number in Afghanistan.
F-15s have had several accidents this year, although the current suspension is linked only to last week's crash.F-15s have had several accidents this year, although the current suspension is linked only to last week's crash.
Preliminary inquiries suggest that the F-15 may have been affected by a mechanical failure.Preliminary inquiries suggest that the F-15 may have been affected by a mechanical failure.
Ejected pilotEjected pilot
The plane belonged to the Missouri Air National Guard and was being used in a training exercise when it crashed near the city of Salem, Missouri.The plane belonged to the Missouri Air National Guard and was being used in a training exercise when it crashed near the city of Salem, Missouri.
The pilot ejected from the plane and suffered a broken arm and minor cuts and bruises. It is thought that the plane, which dated from 1980, started to break up in the air. The pilot ejected, suffering a broken arm and minor cuts and bruises.
Orders to ground an entire fleet of planes are not common: Air Force spokeswoman Jennifer Bently said that she was "unsure" when the step had last been taken. The Air Force now says hundreds of jets are to undergo urgent safety checks, including those on mission in Afghanistan. The planes are no longer used in Iraq.
Orders to ground an entire fleet of planes are not common. Air Force spokeswoman Jennifer Bently said that she did not know when the step had last been taken.
Although the decision to ground the F-15s was based solely on the Missouri crash, the jets have been involved in three other accidents in recent months.Although the decision to ground the F-15s was based solely on the Missouri crash, the jets have been involved in three other accidents in recent months.
F-15s have been a mainstay of the US air force since 1975, but the Air Force stopped buying them in 2004, intending to replace them gradually with the more up-to-date F-22 Raptor, made by Lockheed Martin. F-15s have been a mainstay of US air power since 1975, but the Air Force stopped buying them in 2004, intending to replace them gradually with the more up-to-date F-22 Raptor, made by Lockheed Martin.
Boeing - the manufacturer of the F-15 - is still producing them for other customers.Boeing - the manufacturer of the F-15 - is still producing them for other customers.