The U.S. Navy said April 9 that it has extended the grounding of its T-45C Goshawk fleet for at least a week to address problems with the trainer jet’s pilot breathing system.
The announcement came after Vice Adm. Mike Shoemaker, commander of naval air forces, met with instructor pilots, students and staff at three naval air stations to hear their concerns about the T-45.
“After frank discussions with the aircrew, leadership staffs and engineers, I will extend the operational pause for at least a week to allow time for our engineers to do a deeper dive into T-45 systems and for leadership to determine additional mitigation measures that will reduce the risks associated with the T-45 oxygen breathing system,” Shoemaker said.
The grounding was announced April 5 and was initially supposed to end April 10. It was prompted by a recent increase in physiological episodes caused by contamination of the aircraft’s onboard oxygen generation system (OBOGS).
The Navy is still trying to determine the cause of the OBOGS problem. “We are seeking input from the pilots and they have shared some innovative ideas that we are evaluating as possible paths forward as we continue to identify the root causes” of the physiological episodes, Shoemaker wrote on a Navy blog.
Boeing [BA], the T-45’s prime contractor, said in a statement that it is working with the Navy “to help identify root causes of physiological episodes and their solutions.”