Current and former mechanics at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska are claiming that maintenance lapses involving RC-135 aircraft may be compromising the flight safety of the reconnaissance aircraft fleet. While top Air Force officials claim the 29 aircraft are properly maintained, but a group of former and current mechanics tell a different story. George Sarris, a senior civilian aircraft mechanic at Offutt, told the Kansas City Star that he has “found inspections that are 17 years past due, hydraulic and fuel hoses that should have been changed 15 years ago, and recently, several emergency system hoses that were 30-plus years past time change.” He is backed by eight other current and former mechanics, and their charges have sparked several Congressional investigations into safety.
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