----- Original Message -----
Sent: Wednesday, January 14, 2004 3:56
PM
Subject: Re: 59-0069?
Thanks Ron for the e-mail on 069. I had always
heard that it became a static
display aircraft because of a trim pad incident
but I had never gotten the
straight scoop and I didn't want to publish
rumors. I can just imagine your
excitement and possible grief when the gear
folded.
I appreciate you taking the time to write me and I'll add
the info to 069's
page on the site.
Cheers....Erv
----- Original Message -----
From: <rojen@tds.net>
To:
<e_s_smalley@sprynet.com>
Sent: Wednesday, January 14, 2004 2:28 AM
Subject:
59-0069?
Dear Erv,
I was just enjoying your
site and was looking at the information on
59-0069. The information the one news
paper article had about the aircraft
having a hard landing is not
totally correct.
I was operating it on the trim pad when an unusual
occurance happened.
Just as we stabilized at 100% and were ready to go
into afterburner the
right main landing gear pulled off from under
it. It seems the aft drag
brace connecting area on the strut
itself had intergalvanic corrosion in it
and when the drag brace came
off, when a chunk of strut, the landing gear
unfolded in the trunion
area. The reason for the grounding was the trunion
pin area of
the wing was damaged. Since the aircraft was scheduled to go
to
MASDC (DM) it was decided it was cheaper to plant it than to fix
it.
Ronald F. LeJeune MSgt,
Ret.