An Air Force accident investigation board has determined that Mallard ducks caused a T-38 crash on Jan. 18 some 40 miles south of Memphis, Tenn. The Commercial Dispatch reports that the ducks “shattered the cockpit canopy” of the T-38, which was on a training flight out of its home base at Columbus AFB, Miss. Both the student and instructor pilots ejected safely.
As Air Force leaders consider concepts of operations for Collaborative Combat Aircraft, sustainment in the field—and easing that support by using standard parts and limiting variants—should be a key consideration, according to a new study from AFA's Mitchell Institute of Aerospace Studies.