OA-10A Thunderbolt II Crash Site

February 12th 2020

Summery : The Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II is a single-seat, twin turbofan engine, straight wing jet aircraft developed by Fairchild-Republic for the United States Air Force. OA-10A was redesignated for FAC qual pilots (Forward Air Control) and mostly for the Sandys (search and rescue on scene commanders). This OA-10A (#81-0993) was belonged to 172nd Fighter Squadron Michigan Air National Guard at Kellogg Air National Guard Base in Battle Creek, MI. On December 6, 1992, this OA-10A piloted by Capt. Bylon L. Greer was on a familiarization sortie for Air Warrior. Capt. Bylon was the flight lead of the three-ship. The flight maneuvered into a cloud covered valley then made a right turn to reverese course. During the turn, the aircraft impacted a ridge. The aircraft was totally destroyed by ground impact and the pilot was fatally injured. ---------------------------------------------- There were only handful of tiny metal fragments at the site which has already collected by other people. But, farther down from the site, there were few more wrecks including 30 mm PGU-13/B HEI (High explosive incendiary) shell.

	Description Manufacturer: Fairchild Republic Base model: A-10 Version: A Nickname: Thunderbolt II Designation System: U.S. Air Force Designation Period: 1972-Present Basic role: Close air support, forward air control, Ground attack Serial Number: 81-0993 Year built: 1981 Crash Date: 1992/12/6 Fatalities: 1 Specifications Length: 53' 4" 16.26 m Height: 14' 8" 4.47 m Wingspan: 57' 6" 17.53 m Wingarea: 506.0 sq ft 47.0 sq m Empty Weight: 24,959 lb 11,321 kg Gross Weight: 30,384 lb 13,782 kg Propulsion No. of Engines: 2 Powerplant: General Electric TF34-GE-100A turbofans Thrust (each): 9,065 lbf Performance Cruise Speed: 340 mph 560 km/h 300 kt Max Speed: 439 mph 706 km/h 381 kt Ceiling: 45,000 ft 13,700 m
	Other A-10 Link :  Wikipedia Link : Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II

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