A-10s temporarily grounded

A total of 28 A-10s were grounded for about a week at Davis-Monthan AFB at the end of November. Two pilots reported PEs in flight. One aircraft was equipped with OBOGS, the other LOX. The LOX equipped aircraft was found to have a bad cabin pressure regulator valve. A third aircraft reported an OBOGS fault before takeoff on a mission.

This makes the third type grounded last year for hypoxia like events. The base continued flying missions with the LOX equipped aircraft during the grounding.

www.airforcetimes.com...

Multiple aircraft types..Id be looking at manufacturers and part suppliers...

a reply to: Blackfinger

Spectre Meldowns?

a reply to: SkeptiSchism

It's probably in the bleed air stage. A leak at that point will cause all kinds of problems for the pilot.

a reply to: Zaphod58

And here I thought LOX was proven tech!

Suppliers? QA? Aging production lines? Cheap parts (wasn’t there a thread on sub-par parts making into production models from years ago?? I seem to remember reading one at one time)??

All I know from watching from the sidelines, hypoxia events seem (totally subjective) to be on the rise.

It all started (in my mind’s recorder) with Stewart Paine and his plane issues (I know that it was a seal but I’m saying these type of issues: plane parts).

Could it all just be complacency??

Just wondering. We all love the Warthog!!

a reply to: TEOTWAWKIAIFF

The LOX event was a bad valve. They changed the valve and solved the problem. The system is pretty bulletproof but it does have occasional failures. The problems with the OBOGS systems haven't been resolved.

So having done hospice for two parents we went though and oxygen phase. The portable home generators or concentrators were good for about 4 liters per minute max flowing through a nasal cannula. The flow rates through a oxygen mask, can approach 15 liters per minute which this sytem could not handle.

Do you have the particulars of the OBOGS? Are they simply concentrating oxygen from the bleed air?

a reply to: FredT

The systems that I've looked into do. They feed through bleed air, into a concentrator, and separator.

OBOGS schematic

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: FredT

The systems that I've looked into do. They feed through bleed air, into a concentrator, and separator.

OBOGS schematic

Given the flow rates needed, they may have to go back to LOX. We have a LOX tank on the EC-145. Its not just about the hypoxia, you need to wash out the carbon dioxide. The hypercapnia is just as bad as the hypoxia

a reply to: Zaphod58

Thank Zaphod!!

You are a gentleman and a scholar!

Like I said, just watching from the sidelines... and asking questions.

a reply to: Zaphod58

Edit: nevermind i see it had happened back in November.

Did they lift the Grounding.
I just now sceen captured these..


For time proof.

a reply to: Bigburgh

Yes, but it was only the 28 with OBOGS that were grounded. They have almost 60 with LOX that weren't affected.

I saw six of them today going by, four of them were in one of the worst line abreast formations I've ever seen.

a reply to: Zaphod58

Thanks,
I edited my post to reflect the occurrence back in November.

a reply to: Zaphod58

Get pictures!😮

a reply to: Bigburgh

I usually try to, I was driving though. Hard to use a camera and drive.