{"id":17275,"date":"2022-07-28T15:55:05","date_gmt":"2022-07-28T15:55:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2022\/07\/28\/hundreds-of-air-force-training-planes-grounded-over-ejection-seat-concerns\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T20:27:21","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T20:27:21","slug":"hundreds-of-air-force-training-planes-grounded-over-ejection-seat-concerns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2022\/07\/28\/hundreds-of-air-force-training-planes-grounded-over-ejection-seat-concerns\/","title":{"rendered":"Hundreds of Air Force training planes grounded over ejection seat concerns"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Air Force is temporarily grounding nearly 300 trainer aircraft over concerns that their ejection seats may not fire correctly when needed, Air Force Times has learned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The service has stopped flying 203 T-38 Talons and 76 T-6 Texan IIs that may be affected by defective ejection seat parts, Air Force spokesperson Aryn Lockhart confirmed Thursday. That comprises about 40% of the T-38 fleet and 15% of the T-6 fleet, including planes at each undergraduate pilot training base and Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s unclear when they will return to service. The groundings come after the ejection seat manufacturer discovered a potential defect<\/a> with the explosive cartridges that allow a pilot to escape.<\/p>\n\n\n\t