Air Force Finds Wing ‘Defect’ in Stealth Fighter That Crashed

The Air Force said Friday that a Stealth fighter jet that crashed last month at an air show had a “significant defect” in a wing support structure, but officials refused to say whether the defect was the primary cause of the accident.

Despite the report, the pilot said he has confidence in the plane, which had flown 33 combat missions in the Persian Gulf War, and he is eager to fly again.

“I wish I were flying right now,” said Maj. Bryan Knight. A senior pilot with over 2,700 flying hours, Knight has been flying the F-117A for nearly four years.

Knight said he had spent sleepless nights thinking about the crash and reflecting on what went wrong with the F-117A Nighthawk, which dove into a waterfront neighborhood after a piece of its left wing snapped off during the Sept. 14 air show at Martin State Airport.

Knight parachuted to safety, and nobody was seriously injured.

“If I did something wrong, I don’t know what it is,” Knight said at a news conference in the neighborhood where he crashed.

Col. Virginia Pribyla, an Air Force spokeswoman, said officials will not reveal the exact defect until an accident investigation board completes its work.

The Baltimore Sun reported Friday that workers had incorrectly installed a part in the left wing. The newspaper said Air Force investigators will determine whether maintenance workers should be held liable.

Knight said he was certain that when the Air Force finishes its investigation, it will know how and why the plane went down.

“They’ll ensure it won’t happen again,” he said.

The Air Force also announced Friday that it was putting its F-117A fleet back in flying operations. All 53 of the Air Force’s F-117As had been grounded since the accident.

Based on the discovery of the defect, Gen. Dick Hawley, commander of Air Combat Command, ordered that all other F-117As be inspected to determine if they have the same defect.

“So far, the discrepancy in the accident aircraft appears to be an anomaly, but each and every airplane will undergo this extensive inspection before we return it to the skies,” Hawley said.