Air Force grounds non-mission critical F-15 flights after Mo. crash

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Last week's crash of a Missouri Air National Guard jet has prompted the Air Force to suspend all non-mission critical F-15 flight operations, citing a potential "structural failure."

The accident happened Friday during a routine training operation in mid-Missouri. The pilot ejected. The plane, valued at about $40 million, crashed into a wooded area. No one on the ground was hurt. The pilot had a dislocated shoulder, broken arm and minor cuts. He was released from Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis on Saturday.

The accident remains under investigation and the Air Force described the grounding as a precautionary measure. But a news release from the Air Force said preliminary findings indicate a possible structural failure of the aircraft.

Calls seeking additional comment were not returned.

The Air Force said more than 700 F-15s are in its worldwide inventory, and said it will ensure that mission requirements are met for operations normally accomplished by the fighter jet. Current F-15 flying locations include bases in the U.S., England, Japan and the Middle East.

The Air Force has been using the F-15 since the mid-1970s. The fleet is currently being replaced by the F-22 Raptor, but F-15s still make up a significant percentage of fighter jets.

During the Persian Gulf War, F-15E aircraft accounted for 34 of 37 Air Force air-to-air victories, the Air Force said. The aircraft were operated mainly at night, seeking out SCUD missile launchers and artillery sites.

The F-15C, D and E models have also been used in the current Iraq War and in Afghanistan, the Air Force said.

The plane involved in the Missouri crash was a single-seat F-15C Eagle, built in 1980. The crash happened on private property near the unincorporated community of Boss in Dent County.

Col. Robert Leeker, commander of the 131st Fighter Wing, said Friday the plane had been among four planes that split into pairs and engaged in one-on-one training fights in which speeds of 400 to 450 mph are typical. There was no contact between the plane and its partner in the mock fight.

An Air Force investigative report is due in 60 days.

Another Missouri Air National Guard fighter crashed in May after taking off from Lambert Airport in St. Louis. That fighter, an F-15D, had been conducting drills about eight miles south of Vincennes, Ind., when a jammed cable caused the two-seater plane to crash, according to an Air Force report released last month.

The pilot, a veteran of 15 years of flying, was able to eject and had only minor injuries. No one on the ground was hurt. That plane, valued at $43.7 million, was also destroyed.

The F-15 was originally manufactured by St. Louis-based McDonnell-Douglas, which was purchased by Boeing Co. about a decade ago. A Boeing spokesman did not return a phone call seeking comment.