Runway Geese Called Cause of AWACS Crash
A flock of geese caused the crash of an AWACS radar plane that killed 24 last year, the Air Force said Thursday in a report that faulted inaction by airfield managers and a controller.
The Canada geese flew in front of the Airborne Warning and Control Systems jet just as it took off, and knocked out its two left engines, the investigation found.
Geese had been suspected from the start. Investigators found the remains of nearly three dozen on the runway after the Sept. 22 crash at Elmendorf Air Force Base.
Just before the AWACS began its takeoff, the senior air traffic controller in the tower spotted the geese but didn’t tell the AWACS crew, said Col. Thomas Gresch, the crash’s lead investigator.
That mistake, and the base’s failure to consistently keep geese off the runway infield, contributed to the accident, Gresch said.
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