T-45C Goshawks grounded after engine mishap

T-45C Goshawks. Photo: Wikimedia

The fleet of T-45C Goshawks aircraft of the United States Navy was temporarily grounded from flying after an incident during a flight over Mississippi last Friday, according to reports from USNI News.

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The Chief of Naval Air Training announced that the operational pause was necessary for CNATRA (Chief of Naval Air Training) to assess whether flights could safely resume, according to a statement provided to USNI News on Monday.

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The suspension of the trainer aircraft flights came after an engine malfunction on one of the Training Air Wing One aircraft on Friday afternoon. “As a result, the crew conducted an emergency landing at Hesler-Noble Field in Laurel, Mississippi. Fortunately, there were no reported injuries, but engine damage is currently under investigation,” the statement said.

As of Monday afternoon, the Naval Air Systems Command had not issued an official grounding bulletin for the aircraft class. A spokesperson commented to USNI News that the engine issue was related to a blade failure, according to a source familiar with the preliminary assessment.

This is not the first time Goshawks have faced a safety pause; in 2022, the fleet was grounded for two weeks after a similar blade failure on the turbofan engine of a T-45. An attempt to contact a Rolls Royce spokesperson to comment on the incident was not immediately responded to.

T-45C Goshawks. Photo: Wikimedia

The T-45C is the primary aircraft used for carrier pilot training by the United States Navy and Marine Corps, in service since the early 1990s. The Navy is considering replacing the Goshawk as part of the new jet training program, the Undergraduate Jet Training System (UJTS).

Source: USNI News. Video: Instagram @pilotunited. Photo: Wikimedia. This content was created with the assistance of AI