As reported first in AINalerts on September 20, the U.S. Air Force and Navy’s suspension of deliveries of the Hawker Beechcraft T-6A Texan II single-engine turboprop trainer is due to an unapproved change to the manufacturing process of the airplane’s wing spar, according to a Hawker Beechcraft spokesman. Deliveries of the Joint Primary Aircraft Training Program (JPATS) T-6A were suspended in July and should resume shortly, he said. “There is no safety-of-flight issue, and our testing has shown no impact on fatigue life of the aircraft or any other structural concerns. A revised process approval is being finalized with the FAA. The Air Force is conducting its own separate approval process which will be completed shortly.”
During the suspension, the Air Force’s Air Education & Training Command (AETC) has limited the g loading on its fleet of 320 T-6As. “AETC continues to execute its primary mission of undergraduate pilot training under a g limitation suggested by the program office,” an AETC spokesman said. Other T-6A operators include the Navy’s Air Test and Evaluation Squadron Two Zero (Nav Air), Hellenic Air Force of Greece and NATO Flying Training in Canada. More than 435 T-6As have been delivered and have logged more than 625,000 flying hours. Currently, only the U.S. Air Force and Navy have T-6A deliveries pending.
