T-6As remain grounded at Vance Air Force Base after hypoxia scares

Vance Air Force Base, Okla., has grounded its T-6A Texan II aircraft after several reports of hypoxia. (Master Sgt. David Richards/Air Force)

By: Stephen Losey 

Two weeks after hypoxia scares led the 71st Flying Training Wing at Vance Air Force Base in Oklahoma to ground its T-6A Texan II aircraft, it remains unknown when flying operations will resume.

Vance stopped flying its T-6As on Nov. 15 after “physiological incidents” happened during four flights since Nov. 1. The incidents affected four instructor pilots and one student pilot there.

Flight operations for the T-1A Jayhawk and T-38 Talon at Vance are still ongoing.

Vance public affairs chief Terri Schaefer said Wednesday that the pilots “experienced mental disorientations in conjunction with classic hypoxia systems.”

Hypoxia is too little oxygen in the body.

Schaefer said the cause of the hypoxia has not yet been found. Aviators, medical personnel and industry experts are still reviewing the incidents and looking for a solution, she said, but Vance is not sure when the pause in T-6A flight operations will end.

In a Nov. 20 release announcing the groundings, Vance said that “in each case, the aircraft’s backup oxygen system operated as designed, and the pilot followed the correct procedures, landing the aircraft safely,”

In all, over the last year there have been eight such physiological events involving T-6A sorties at two bases, Vance and Naval Air Station Pensacola in Florida.

“One event is too many,” Schaefer said in an email. “The Air Force takes this issue seriously and will continue to investigate these events with all major stakeholders in the T-6 enterprise to provide Vance AFB and all other T-6 bases solutions, including changes to checklist procedures, that protect our nation’s finest and ensure continued, safe and effective flying training.”

Vance has also briefed its instructor pilots and students on the hypoxia situation, and how the pilots in the incidents successfully landed their planes afterwards.

Original post: airforcetimes.com

T-1A Jayhawk

The T-1A Jayhawk is a medium-range, twin-engine jet trainer used in the advanced phase of specialized undergraduate pilot training for students selected to fly airlift or tanker aircraft. (U.S. Air Force photo).

Mission
The T-1A Jayhawk is a medium-range, twin-engine jet trainer used in the advanced phase of specialized undergraduate pilot training for students selected to fly airlift or tanker aircraft. It is also used to support navigator training for the U.S. Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and international services.

Features
The swept-wing T-1A is a military version of the Beech 400A. It has cockpit seating for an instructor and two students and is powered by twin turbofan engines capable of an operating speed of 538 mph.  The T-1A differs from its commercial counterpart with structural enhancements that provide for increased bird strike resistance and an additional fuselage fuel tank. 

T-1A CSO Aircraft Modifications – Image:  cambertx.com

T-1A CSO Instructor and Student station – Image:  cambertx.com

Background
The first T-1A was delivered to Reese Air Force Base, Texas, in January 1992, and student training began in 1993.

Starting in 1993, undergraduate pilots who have graduated from their primary aircraft have proceeded to specialized training tailored for their follow-on assignments. The T-1A is used in advanced training for students identified to go into airlift or tanker aircraft. Those selected for bombers and fighters receive their advanced in the T-38.

The T-1A is used at Columbus AFB, Miss., Laughlin AFB, Texas, and Vance AFB, Okla. It is also used at Randolph AFB, Texas, to train instructor pilots and at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla., for combat systems officer training.

General Characteristics
Primary Function: Advanced trainer for airlift and tanker pilots
Builder: Raytheon Corp. (Beech)
Power Plant: Two Pratt and Whitney JT15D-5B turbofan engines
Thrust: 2,900 pounds each engine
Length: 48 feet, 5 inches (14.75 meters)
Height: 13 feet, 11 inches (4.24 meters)
Wingspan: 43 feet, 6 inches (13.25 meters)
Maximum Speed: 538 miles per hour (Mach .70)
Ceiling: 41,000 feet (12,500 meters)
Maximum Takeoff Weight: 16,100 pounds (7,303 kilograms)
Range: 2,222 nautical miles (2,900 nm flying long-range cruise)
Armament: None
Crew: Three (pilot, co-pilot, instructor pilot)
Date Deployed: February 1992
Unit Cost: $4.1 million 

Source: af.mil

AT-6B Light Attack Aircraft / Trainer: Details