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The Air Force major died in a test mission over the gulf after he lost control at 1,400 mph.
©Associated Press
October 6, 2002
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE -- An F-15C pilot who died in a crash earlier this year was forced to eject at high speed when a section of the fighter's tail broke off, an Air Force investigation team concluded.
An Accident Investigation Board summary released Friday said Maj. James Duricy was forced to eject over the Gulf of Mexico April 30 while flying about 1,400 mph. A piece of the left tail broke off, causing loss of control.
The twin-engine, single-seat jet was from the 46th Test Wing, part of the Air Force's Air Armament Center at Eglin.
The full report, which is hundreds of pages long, is still being analyzed. There are no immediate plans for a fleetwide F-15 inspection, Air Armament Center spokeswoman Lois Walsh said.
The summary called Duricy, 35, a "very experienced and proficient pilot fully qualified to fly this particular test mission." His body was not recovered.
A 3- by 6-foot section of the tail broke off at about 24,000 feet, knocking the F-15C off balance, the summary said. Duricy lost control of the $35-million fighter about 60 miles south of Panama City while in a high-speed dive.
The aircraft was carrying an inert, updated version of the heat-seeking AIM-9X "Sidewinder" anti-aircraft missile. The mission was to check how the AIM-9X missile handled the flight.
Duricy of Cleveland was married and the father of two.