Pilot Error Cited in A-10 Crash

An aircraft accident investigation board has found “clear and convincing evidence” that human error caused an A-10C crash at Moody AFB, Ga., on May 10. The pilot was assigned to Moody’s 75th Fighter Squadron. The aircraft veered off the runway during an aborted takeoff and crashed roughly 500 feet from the runway when the nosegear collapsed, causing the right main landing gear and nose to lodge in the ground. This caused a “catastrophic fuselage failure,” according to the AIB report issued Thursday. The A-10 was engulfed in flames almost immediately thereafter. The pilot suffered minor injuries when he ejected, but the aircraft was a total loss with damages estimated at just over $17.3 million. The pilot erred in his “initial decision not to abort the takeoff,” and then applied “an inappropriate braking procedure” upon deciding to abort, stated the AIB findings. (Langley release)