The Air Force Materiel Command has publicly admitted to a mishap in which an Air Force test pilot crew got the ride of their life in April of this year. An AC-130J Ghostrider, an airplane weighing as much as 164,000 pounds, went inverted during a test flight and was severely damaged, a mistake that is costing taxpayers $115 million.
AC-130J Ghostrider Damaged in Flight Test
Key Takeaways:
- An AC-130J Ghostrider test aircraft was severely damaged and deemed a total loss after momentarily going inverted during a test flight, costing taxpayers $115 million.
- The accident was primarily caused by excessive rudder input followed by inadequate recovery input and pilot overcontrol/undercontrol during a steady heading sideslip maneuver.
- Contributing factors included issues with instrumentation and warning systems, spatial disorientation, confusion, and insufficient procedural guidance for the test team.
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