FAA grounds Mentor fleet after latest wing failure | Aviation International News

FAA grounds Mentor fleet after latest wing failure

A Raytheon Beech T-34 Mentor crashed on December 7 when the left wing snapped off about four inches inboard of the root attach point.

By AIN Staff • AIN Staff

January 26, 2007

A Raytheon Beech T-34 Mentor crashed on December 7 when the left wing snapped off about four inches inboard of the root attach point. The Mentor was being operated by Texas Air Aces/Aviation Safety Training (AST) and crashed near Houston Hooks Field, killing the flight instructor and front-seat passenger. AST’s mission was emergency upset training for major flight departments around the U.S.

This was the second in-flight breakup of an AST aircraft within the past 13 months and the third such accident for the Mentor in five years. On December 10 the FAA issued an emergency AD grounding the entire 475-aircraft fleet of T-34s.

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