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 Air Force AC-130J Ghostrider test aircraft was severely damaged and deemed a total loss after momentarily going inverted during a test flight in April, costing $115 million.
- The mishap was primarily caused by excessive rudder input during a steady heading sideslip maneuver, followed by inadequate recovery input from the crew.
- Contributing factors included instrumentation and warning system issues, spatial disorientation, confusion, and insufficient procedural guidance provided to the test team.
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