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TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) -- Thirty-four A-10 Thunderbolt II jets flown from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base have been grounded indefinitely after the Air Force found wing cracks in part of the service's aging fleet.
Maintainers detected the wing cracks on A-10s undergoing upgrading and inspection at Hill Air Force Base in Utah.
Had the problem gone undetected, it had the potential to cause wings to fall off, according to military aviation expert.
The Air Force on Friday ordered the immediate grounding of 130 of the 400 or so A-10 Thunderbolt II jets in use around the world.
Eighty-two of the A-10s are assigned to Davis-Monthan. Of those, 34 were grounded for inspection and repair in response to the Air Force order.
Information from: Arizona Daily Star
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
