Dual engine failure during a functional check flight caused the crash of an A-10C aircraft assigned to Moody AFB, Ga., on Sept. 26, 2011, announced Air Combat Command officials Wednesday. ACC’s accident investigators determined that the aircraft experienced a stall at 34,000 feet that quickly resulted in both engines flaming out. The pilot tried unsuccessfully to recover the aircraft. He then located a controlled bailout area and safely ejected, sustaining no serious injuries. However, the A-10 was lost. Valued at approximately $14.7 million, it went down on private property about 20 miles northwest of Moody. The costs of the environmental clean-up are estimated at $150,000. According to the investigators, the A-10’s stall warning system had malfunctioned at 15,000 feet. Without evidence of additional malfunctions, the pilot elected to continue the flight. An FCF is flown to ensure airworthiness after major scheduled aircraft maintenance. (Accident investigation board report; caution, large-sized file.)
The defense intelligence community has tried three times in the past decade to build a “common intelligence picture”—a single data stream providing the information that commanders need to make decisions about the battlefield. The first two attempts failed. But officials say things are different today.