Typhoon grounded

[Deleted]

Hi,

I have read in a number of press articles, that the Typhoon has been grounded. This is after a Spanish pilot died after his parachute detached from the ejector seat during a training mission.

Ian

[Deleted]

It seems to have come from this story, which the press association put out and others have embellished it!

"Typhoons grounded in safety probe
(UKPA) – Sep 18, 2010
Fighter jets from the RAF's Typhoon fleet have been grounded following safety concerns, the MoD has confirmed.
Non operational flights from the fleet were ordered not to fly after a crewman, believed to be from the Spanish airforce, died during a training flight.
Safety concerns are believed to surround the harness system on the jet's ejector seat.
There are more than 60 planes in the RAF's Typhoon fleet.
An MoD spokesman said: "The safety of our personnel is paramount.
"Investigations following an accident involving a Spanish Typhoon have highlighted a potential issue with the aircrew harness system.
"As a precaution, non-operational Typhoon flights have temporarily been suspended pending modification.
"Typhoon Quick Reaction Alert in the UK and Falkland Islands is not affected as those aircraft have already been modified."
Copyright © 2010 The Press Association. All rights reserved."

[Deleted]

Britain fixes Eurofighter ejector seats after Spain crash

Britain's Royal Air Force has modified the ejection seat harnesses on its Eurofighter Typhoon combat aircraft following a fatal accident in Spain, the Ministry of Defence said Monday.
The RAF grounded all Typhoons deployed outside operational theatres from Wednesday until Monday so that the problem with the seats could be fixed, a spokesman for the ministry said in a statement.

Jets forming part of the RAF's quick reaction force in Britain and in the disputed Falkland Islands in the south Atlantic had already been modified and flights involving them were not affected, he added.

"The safety of our personnel is paramount," the spokesman said. "Sufficient modifications have now been undertaken and non-operational Typhoon flights have resumed."

The Royal Air Force has a fleet of 54 Typhoons.

A Saudi air force pilot was killed during a training flight in August with a Spanish instructor when their Eurofighter Typhoon crashed for an unknown reason. The instructor managed to eject and was only slightly hurt.

Saudi Arabia has its pilots trained to fly the aircraft by the Spanish air force under a bilateral agreement with Madrid.

Germany grounded all 55 of its Eurofighters indefinitely from Wednesday last week because of the same ejector seat problem, saying that "in certain circumstances the ejector seat does not operate faultlessly."

earlier related report
Spain grounds Eurofighter jets
Madrid (AFP) Sept 20, 2010 - Spain has followed Germany's lead and grounded its Eurofighter combat aircraft until an inquiry into a possible ejector seat problem is completed, a defence ministry spokeswoman said Monday.

The decision was taken on Thursday, she said, one day after Germany grounded its Eurofighter jets as a precaution, saying that "in certain circumstances the ejector seat does not operate faultlessly in case of emergency."

The problem had been detected during a check and was being taken up with the manufacturers, a German defence ministry spokesman said last week.