Bombers
BombersPosted on: Mar. 23rd, 2006 || home.hamptonroads.com
One night last October in the Utah desert, an Air Force mechanic double-checked the landing gear on a gleaming new F-22 Raptor fighter jet. It was five days into the Langley Air Force Base unit's first training mission.
The mechanic spotted a 5-inch metal pin and an attached streamer fastened to the front landing gear. It needed to be removed before the plane could depart on its late-night mission.
Inside the cockpit, the pilot shut down one of the plane's two engines. The mechanic reached into the landing gear and pulled the small pin and 3-foot streamer.
In an instant, the piece leaped from the mechanic's grip and into the still-turning jet engine. Sparks flew. Metal screeched. Stomachs dropped.
On Wednesday, the Air Force released its investigation of the incident and tallied the repair bill - $6.7 million plus.
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