All Navy F/A-18 E/F Super Hornets, Growlers grounded

Melchior Timmers · Post by **Melchior Timmers** » 17 Dec 2016, 19:34

Source: https://www.navytimes.com/articles/navy ... bey-island

The Navy temporarily grounded all F/A-18 E/F Super Hornets and E/A-18G Growlers Friday after an aircrew was injured and a Growler damaged in an undisclosed incident Friday at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Navy officials said.

The aircrew of an E/A-18G jet assigned to Electronic Attack Squadron 132 was injured in an "on-deck emergency" about 11 a.m. Friday, according to a statement from Naval Air Forces.

A Navy search-and-rescue helicopter rushed an undisclosed number to Harborview Medical Center for evaluation. The cause of the emergency is under investigation, Navy officials said.

Naval Air Forces has temporarily suspended flight operations for all F/A-18 E/F Super Hornets and E/A-18G Growlers as a safety precaution since they share common aircraft systems, according to the Navy statement.

The operational pause will allow both Naval Air Systems Command and engineers from Boeing, which manufactures both aircraft, time to investigate the incident, Navy officials said.

A Navy spokesman contacted by Navy Times on Saturday was unable to provide additional details on the incident or the extent of the crews' injuries.

Alpha Kilo One · Post by **Alpha Kilo One** » 18 Dec 2016, 11:45

Wow. That's a considerable amount of planes. And a big percentage of the total planes!

Starfighter_F-104G · Post by **Starfighter_F-104G** » 19 Dec 2016, 18:40

166937 NL543 VAQ-132

Melchior Timmers · Post by **Melchior Timmers** » 19 Dec 2016, 19:31

Official story is the canopy exploded while closed and the aircraft on the flightline...

Alpha Kilo One · Post by **Alpha Kilo One** » 20 Dec 2016, 06:49

Could have been worse...

Stratofreighter · Post by **Stratofreighter** » 20 Dec 2016, 06:56

http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/mil ... story.html

Growler, Super Hornet and Osprey aircraft return to the sky

December 19, 2016, 1:45 PM

Grounded last week after a spate of incidents on two continents, a trio of key American military aircraft resumed flights on Monday.

Military leaders cleared the Marine Corps’ MV-22 Ospreys in Japan and the Navy’s fleet of F/A-18 E/F/ Super Hornets and E/A-18G Growlers worldwide to return to the skies after initial probes appeared to detect the problems that caused the problems.

A Marine tiltrotor Bell Boeing Osprey made an emergency water landing on Dec. 12 near the shore of the Japanese island of Okinawa after apparently colliding with a fuel hose during a routine aerial refueling mission over the Pacific Ocean.

U.S. Air Force and Japanese military rescue teams saved the crew.

On Friday,
a canopy malfunction on a Boeing E/A-18G Growler at the Whidbey Island Naval Air Station seriously injured two crewmen
and triggered the temporary grounding of both the advanced electronic warfare jets nationwide and all F/A-18 E/F/ Super Hornets, fighters that share aircraft components.

“We have conducted a thorough, careful and exhaustive review of MV-22 aviation safety procedures and briefed Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials," said Air Force Lt. Gen Jerry P. Martinez, the commander of the American military in Japan, in a prepared statement.

"While the investigation is ongoing, we are highly confident in our assessment that the cause of the mishap was due solely to the aircraft’s rotor blades coming into contact with the refueling line.
We greatly appreciate the strong support from our Alliance partner in the aftermath of this incident."

Lt. Gen. Lawrence D. Nicholson, commander of the III Marine Expeditionary Force, added that he was “highly confident” that the Osprey could safely resume operations there, according to the statement.

On North Island, Vice Adm. Mike Shoemaker, commander of Naval Air Forces,
cleared Growler and Super Hornet squadrons to resume normal operations early Monday once all flight crews are briefed about initial findings into the Whidbey Island accident.

Navy and Boeing engineers determined that cold Puget Sound temperatures and water combined to ice important components on the Growler before its Friday takeoff.

They directed changes to aircraft water-wash procedures
and other ground maintenance procedures
to mitigate the effects of the icing
and extended the reforms to the entire F-18 fleet of jets, including Hornet strike fighters operated by the Navy and Marine Corps worldwide.

Investigations continue into both the Osprey and Growler incidents, officials added.

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