Inspections Ordered for F/A-18 Hornets

[unhappycamper]

Inspections Ordered for F/A-18 Hornets
October 27, 2008
Virginian-Pilot

The Navy is inspecting its entire fleet of F/A-18 Hornets after discovering cracks in more than a dozen of the planes' wings.

There have been no flight mishaps and no planes have been grounded, the Navy said.

Navy mechanics found the cracks this month during routine post-flight maintenance on a currently deployed plane, said Lt. Clayton Doss, a spokesman.

The damage was in the aluminum outer wing panel outboard aileron hinge. Ailerons help control the rolling motion of the aircraft, so a failure of this hinge could lead to further damage and the loss of the plane.

Subsequent inspections found similar cracks in 14 other planes. Five of the planes are deployed and are scheduled for immediate repair. The other 10 were in depot, reserve or training status, Doss said.


Rest opf article at: http://www.military.com/news/article/inspections-ordered-for-fa18-hornets.html?col=1186032311124