F-15 Accident: Rudders Failed

Pacific Air Forces officials have released the results of their investigation of the F-15D Eagle crash that occurred approximately 60 miles off of Oahu Feb. 1. The accident investigation board determined that “there was no clear and convincing evidence to determine a root cause for the mishap.” However, the AIB did find sufficient evidence to conclude that both rudders failed in a mid-range position to the left, most likely due to a failure involving the aileron-rudder interconnect. This failure induced a yawing, rolling motion to the left that the pilot was unable to correct. Unable to get the aircraft to respond to his controls, the pilot safely ejected from the aircraft and suffered only minor injuries. The aircraft was destroyed upon impact. The aircraft was assigned to the 199th Fighter Squadron at Hickam AFB and was part of a two-aircraft basic fighter maneuvers training mission, involving one-on-one offensive and defensive maneuvering.