{"id":25256,"date":"2018-03-07T22:31:48","date_gmt":"2018-03-07T22:31:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/03\/07\/air-force-report-propulsion-malfunction-led-to-a-29-super-tucano-crash\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T20:40:36","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T20:40:36","slug":"air-force-report-propulsion-malfunction-led-to-a-29-super-tucano-crash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/2018\/03\/07\/air-force-report-propulsion-malfunction-led-to-a-29-super-tucano-crash\/","title":{"rendered":"Air Force report: Propulsion malfunction led to A-29 Super Tucano crash"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A mysterious malfunction led to a dramatic loss of thrust that caused an A-29B Super Tucano<\/a> to crash near Homerville, Georgia, last March, according to an accident investigation board report released Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the Air Education and Training Command accident investigation board<\/a> that studied the crash said the cause of the malfunction could not be determined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The American instructor pilot and Afghan student pilot, who were assigned to the 81st Fighter Squadron at Moody Air Force Base in Georgia, ejected in the March 6, 2017, incident, sustaining minor injuries. The plane was destroyed on impact, costing the government $17.7 million, according to the Dec. 29 report, signed by accident investigation board<\/a> president Col. Michael Snell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The engine retained some thrust after the propulsion system malfunction, the report said, but wasn\u2019t able to sustain level flight. The report also said that visibility restrictions from the rear cockpit and task oversaturation contributed to the crash.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The report said that the A-29 that crashed was the second in a two-ship formation, during a close air attack student flight. Shortly after the sortie began, the A-29 had a fault in its power management system. But after consulting with leadership, the flight proceeded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About an hour later, the propulsion system suddenly malfunctioned, the report said, which caused a significant loss of propeller speed. The instructor pilot started the compressor stall checklist procedure, but stopped after he got control of the aircraft and found that the engine was not stalled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The instructor pilot started trying to troubleshoot what had gone wrong with the propulsion system and get the plane operating normally again, but soon decided to divert the plane to the nearest field, at the Homerville Airport, to land.<\/p>\n\n\n\t