A US Navy F/A-18F Super Hornet suffered severe fuselage damage after striking a bird on March 22. No one was injured and the crew managed to land the aircraft safely.
The event occurred during low-altitude flight training. Upon feeling the impact, the crew of the two-seat fighter, belonging to the fighter and attack squadron VFA-106 Gladiators, decided to return to the base in El Centro, California.
According to Military.com, An inspection revealed severe damage to the right-hand air intake and engine. The Naval Safety Center classified the incident as a “Class A Incident.”
Class A incidents involve damage in excess of $2.5 million, total loss of an aircraft, and the death or permanent disability of one or more individuals. It should be noted that this is still a preliminary classification, can be reduced later.
“We are viewing this as a Class A accident, however an investigation will determine the cause of the incident and the level of damage sustained.” said Lieutenant Commander Robert Myers, a US Navy public affairs officer.
That same week, the US Navy reduced an incident with an F-35B from Class A to Class C (where the aircraft suffers damages estimated between US$ 60 and US$ 600).
On March 12, a Marine Corps F-35B suffered damage after a 25mm shell exploded shortly after being fired by the fighter itself. Despite having received the most serious classification, the US Navy ended up downgrading it to Class C.
So far, the Navy has not provided further details about the two incidents.
