Navy inspecting all F/A-18 Hornets for wing cracks

The Navy is inspecting its entire fleet of F/A-18 Hornets after discovering cracks in more than a dozen of the planes' wings.

There have been no flight mishaps and no planes have been grounded, the Navy said.

Navy mechanics found the cracks this month during routine post-flight maintenance on a currently deployed plane, said Lt. Clayton Doss, a spokesman.

The damage was in the aluminum outer wing panel outboard aileron hinge. Ailerons help control the rolling motion of the aircraft, so a failure of this hinge could lead to further damage and the loss of the plane.

Subsequent inspections found similar cracks in 14 other planes. Five of the planes are deployed and are scheduled for immediate repair. The other 10 were in depot, reserve or training status, Doss said.

The Navy has issued a call to inspect all 636 of its older "legacy" Hornets - the A, B, C and D variants. There are 112 such Hornets deployed worldwide; the remainder are in depot, reserve or training status.

The F/A-18 Super Hornets - E's and F's - are not affected.

The Navy has issued an inspection bulletin dictating that every Hornet be inspected within its next 15 flight hours. It should take several weeks to complete the inspections.

A panel replacement is a minor repair that can be done in the field or on the carriers, Doss said, while a hinge replacement is major and would require taking the plane to a land-based facility.

In the meantime, the Hornets continue to fly missions.

Doss said the Navy will prioritize inspection and repair s to ensure that planes operate safely and meet mission requirements with minimal disruption. The Hornets in question each have 5,000 to 7,500 flight hours on them. About half the legacy Hornets have flown at least 6,000 hours.

The Hornet is built by Boeing, which said Friday that it is monitoring the situation.

"Boeing will work closely with the Navy throughout the inspection process to determine the scope of any cracking on the F/A-18 A through D Hornet fleet and determine the best course of action," said Boeing spokesman Philip Carder.

"A more complete assessment... will be made after all inspections are complete."

Matthew Jones, (757) 446-2949, matthew.jones@pilotonline.com