Aerospace World

摘要

Gen. John W. Handy, Air Mobility Command chief, on Feb. 10 grounded 30 C-130Es. At the same time, another 60 C-130s were placed on restricted flight status "to minimize wing stress and increase the safety margin," AMC officials said. The aircraft were grounded "based upon a recommendation by the C-130 System Program Office at Robins AFB, Ga.," officials explained in an Air Force news release. Since 2001, inspections of the center wing box have found cracks that are deeper and more severe than expected, creating a safety concern. Most of the affected aircraft, which include E, H, and HC-130N/P models, belong to Air Mobility Command, but three other major commands, Air National Guard, and Air Force Reserve Command also own transports that were put under flight restrictions.