An F-15C slid off the runway after landing on Jan. 22 at Tyndall AFB, Fla. The Eagle, assigned to the 2nd Fighter Squadron, had just landed when it veered off of the taxiway and hit a light post, causing the light post to fall on the aircraft. The pilot was not injured. “This incident is under investigation, but initial assessment points to brake failure as the root cause,” Brig. Gen. Tod Wolters, 325th Fighter Wing commander, said in a Tyndall release on the incident. “As we investigate the exact circumstances surrounding the mishap, I remain confident in the safety of our F-15 fleet and it’s ability to fulfill our training mission.” USAF can scarce afford to lose any more Eagles as 162 of the 441 aircraft in the F-15 A-D fleet are already grounded, likely for a while, due to the structural issue with the longerons near the aircraft’s cockpit.
An Air Force F-16 pilot designed a collapsible ladder that weighs just six pounds and folds into the unused cockpit map case.