Another American F-15 Crashes, This Time In England

By  Michael Ballaban

A US Air Force F-15D just crashed during an training sortie in England, according to multiple reports. The cause is still unclear, but bystanders reported that the jet came down backwards, though the pilot is reported to have ejected safely.

The 493rd Fighter Squadron is the only F-15C unit in Europe and is based out of RAF Lakenheath, some 38 miles from where this crash took place.

An F-15
crashed back in August over Virginia for what are still undisclosed or unknown reasons, though it's still unclear if the incidents are related. Unfortunately, The pilot was killed in that incident. Depending on what the pilot's account is of this latest incident, and the data available both at the crash scene and from external sources, a stand-down of the F-15C/D fleet is possible, as it happened for 15 months following a mid-air breakup in November of 2007.

Today the F-15C/D Eagle fleet is just a shadow of its former self, with the entire force shrinking to just 187 aircraft in the near future. These 187 aircraft will be known as "Golden Eagles" and will receive major upgrades, including the highly capable APG-63V3 AESA radar, and potentially new cockpit displays, an infrared search and track system and other upgrades making them supposedly viable for decades to come. The youngest F-15C/D jets in USAF service are currently approaching 30 years old.


UPDATE: At least he didn't land in a tree. Still doesn't look too comfortable, though.

Comment(s)

Recommended