Fuel tank problem grounds 10 of Hill Air Force Base's combat ready F-35s [View all]
HILL AIR FORCE BASE — Just seven weeks after a top Air Force general declared them ready for combat, 10 of Hill Air Force Base’s 15 F-35As have been grounded.
On Aug. 11, maintenance crews at Hill discovered “peeling and crumbling” in the avionic cooling line insulation inside of one of the jet’s fuel tanks. Base spokesman Micah Garbarino said an investigation was launched immediately after the discovery, where eight other aircraft where found to have the same issue.
The Air Force stopped the inspection after examining those eight planes, determining the safest route was to ground all 13 operational Lightning IIs that are built with the same cooling lines. The grounding went into effect on Sept. 9.
Two jets at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona and one at Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas are also grounded.
Read more: http://www.standard.net/Military/2016/09/19/F-35s-grounded-crumbling-insulation-hill-air-force-base.html (Ogden Standard Examiner)
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