Slashdot Mirror
Mechanic's Mistake Trashes $244 Million Aircraft
Hugh Pickens writes "An accident report is finally out for the Air Force E-8C Joint Surveillance Targeting and Attack Radar System that had started refueling with a KC-135 on on March 13, 2009 when the crew heard a 'loud bang throughout the midsection of the aircraft.' Vapor and fuel started pouring out of the JSTARS from 'at least two holes in the left wing just inboard of the number two engine.' The pilot immediately brought the jet back to its base in Qatar where mechanics found the number two main fuel tank had been ruptured, 'causing extensive damage to the wing of the aircraft.' How extensive? 25 million dollars worth of extensive. What caused this potentially fatal and incredibly expensive accident to one of the United States' biggest spy planes? According to the USAF accident report, a contractor accidentally left a plug in one of the fuel tank's relief vents (PDF) during routine maintenance. 'The PDM subcontractor employed ineffective tool control measures,' reads the report. Tool control measures? 'You know, the absolutely basic practice of accounting for the exact location of every tool that is used to work on an airplane once that work is finished.' Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz just told Congress, 'there is a JSTARS platform that was damaged beyond economical repair that we will not repair.' So, if this is the one Schwartz is talking about, then one mechanic's mistake has damaged a $244 million aircraft beyond repair."
Government contractors. Saving you money like they have never saved it before.
you forgot "And suggest private industry could do better"
Self proclaimed typo king, and inventor of the bear destroying coffee table (patent not pending).
The most I ever cost my employer for a screw up is about $1.1 million.
$25 million? It's not as if they had to repair the toilets or anything . . .
If he were a banker he'd get a bonus ?
The Cloud - because you don't care if your apps and data are up in the air.
If I remember Srimati teacher correctly, apparently a whole kingdom was lost because some cobbler missed nailing one nail in the shoe of one horse. I, along with rest of the class, had actually memorized the entire report of the investigation committee. We delivered the report to an assembly of interested parties ( Mohan master accompanied us on the xylaphone) on the annual day of the Mahatma Gandhi Elementary. From the standing ovation we got, I assume our report was spot on and was accepted with great appreciation.
sed -e 's/Chuck Norris/Rajnikant/g' joke > fact
If you insist on putting the brake pedal on the right foot and accelerator on the left, it doesn't matter how loudly you blame the driver, its still a design failure.
They should take the Apple route and put both functions in one pedal. Simply Genius! (tm)
Tell me about it. Sling-shot launching that Reliant Robin off an aircraft carrier damn nearly killed me!
I wrote my first program at the age of six, and I still can't work out how this website works.
Except if it's an Oracle server, I'd dump it in the drainage ditch on the side of the road in an instant.
"No, sir, I don't know how it got into the ditch. Must have jumped."
Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!