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| Date: | Wednesday 21 August 2024 |
| Time: | 09:27 |
| Type: |  Boeing KC-46A Pegasus |
| Owner/operator: | USAF, 22nd Air Refueling Wing |
| Registration: | 17-46028 |
| MSN: | 34124/1135 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2018 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 5 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Fairfield-Travis AFB, CA (SUU) -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | Fairfield-Travis AFB, CA (SUU/KSUU) |
| Fairfield-Travis AFB, CA (SUU/KSUU) | |
| Investigating agency: | USAF AIB |
On 21 August 2024, at approximately 09:27 hours local time (L), mishap aircraft one (MA1), a Boeing KC-46A Pegasus, 17-46028, assigned to the 22nd Air Refueling Wing, McConnell AFB, Kansas, conducted an aerial refueling (AR) mission in the Swiss Air Traffic Control Assigned Airspace (ATCAA) with mishap aircraft two (MA2), an F-15E, 90-0246 and its wingman, both assigned to the 366th Fighter Wing, Mountain Home AFB, Idaho. During the fourth AR attempt of the sortie, MA1 experienced nozzle binding of the boom in MA2’s receptacle. Upon release, the boom rapidly flew upward, struck the empennage of MA1, and violently oscillated left and right. The boom striking MA1 and the ensuing forceful oscillations resulted in critical failure of the boom shaft structure, portions of which fell from MA1 in flight.
There were no fatalities, injuries, or damage to civilian property. The estimated damages to MA1 are $14,381,303.
The Accident Investigation Board President found, by a preponderance of the evidence, that the cause of the mishap was the Mishap Boom Operator’s (MBO) control inputs to the air refueling flight control system, resulting in an excessive fly-up rate of the boom, which struck the aircraft empennage and caused a critical failure of the boom shaft structure. The Board President further found by a preponderance of the evidence that the following factors substantially contributed to the mishap:
- Excessive closure rate and instability of MA2
- The MBO’s attempted contact outside the standard AR envelope for MA2
- Mishap Pilot 3’s (MP3) failure to recognize and initiate immediate breakaway procedures, which further delayed positive separation from MA1; and
- The MBO’s lack of knowledge on boom flight control logic and its effects on the boom flight control surfaces prevented the MBO from recognizing the influence of Flight Control
- Stick (FCS) inputs and programmed boom limit functions during operations, especially during nozzle binding situations
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/15-46009#36b36231
Media:
Wild ATC audio, a lost tail boom and live missiles turns into quite the story ?
— Thenewarea51 (@thenewarea51) August 23, 2024
NOBLE42 (F-15E Mountain Home AFB) had a incident with WIDE12 (Boeing KC-46 17-46028) yesterday near Santa Barbara, California while refueling during a CAP (Combat Air Patrol) which was enforcing a… pic.twitter.com/VkIJJZ1OIT
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 22-Aug-2024 08:55 | ASN | Added |
| 22-Aug-2024 08:56 | ASN | Updated [Location, Narrative, ] |
| 22-Aug-2024 11:55 | ASN | Updated [Date, Registration, Cn, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Embed code, Narrative, ] |
| 22-Aug-2024 11:59 | ASN | Updated [Date, Registration, Cn, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Embed code, Narrative, ] |
| 22-Aug-2024 12:00 | ASN | Updated [Narrative, ] |
| 23-Aug-2024 15:36 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Embed code, ] |
| 26-Aug-2025 18:21 | ASN | Updated [Date, Time, Registration, Cn, Operator, Total occupants, Departure airport, Damage, Narrative, ] |
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