Air Force releases investigation results on F-15D accident

  • Published
  • USAFE-AFAFRICA Public Affairs
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany --  U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa officials released the results of the accident investigation into the Oct. 8, 2014 crash of a U.S. F-15D Eagle aircraft near Spalding, Lincolnshire, United Kingdom.

At the conclusion of the accident investigation, the board president, Col. Russell D. Driggers, found clear and convincing evidence that the mishap was caused by a combination of two factors - the angle of attack of the aircraft at the time and imperfections in the radome's nose cap assembly.

The pilot from the 48th Figther Wing's 493rd Fighter Squadron at Lakenheath Air Base ejected safely, sustaining only minor injuries. At the time of the incident, pilot was a current and qualified F-15 pilot with 1,645 flight hours. There were no civilian injuries or casualties.

The board also found that, at the time of the mishap, a detailed review of active and historical aircraft maintenance records revealed no discrepancies to indicate engine, mechanical, flight control, or other problems existed with the aircraft.

The convening authority, USAFE-AFAFRICA Commander Gen. Frank Gorenc, approved the board president's report without comments.

The primary purpose of the board was to provide a publicly releasable report of the facts and circumstances surrounding the incident. A narrative within the executive summary of the report is available at http://go.usa.gov/3a6Kh. The full report is available by submitting a Freedom of Information Act request.  An electronic request may be submitted at http://www.foia.af.mil.

For more information contact the USAFE-AFAFRICA Public Affairs Office at 011-49-6371-47-6558.