The Air Force has now been forced to write off a brand new $115million gunship after a pilot accidentally flew it upside down.
The AC-130J Ghostrider gunship was taking part in a training mission over the Gulf of Mexico in April this year having taken off from Elgin Air Force Base, officials said.
The pilot, from 413th Flight Test Squadron, was taking part in a ‘sideslip’ maneuver when he lost control of the 132ft-wide aircraft before it turned upside down.
A ‘sideslip’ maneuver, according to Langley Flying School, involves dipping one wing while pushing the rudder in the opposite direction causing an aircraft to turn sideways while continuing along the same heading.
It is typically used by pilots when trying to land in a heavy crosswind, and can often be seen in use at commercial airports by pilots trying to land in windy weather.
A similar maneuver, the forward slip, is also used when pilots need to rapidly lose altitude.
An Air Force Materiel Command report, released earlier this month and seen by CNN, says: ‘The aircraft exceeded the targeted angle of sideslip until it departed controlled flight and momentarily inverted before being recovered after losing approximately 5,000 feet of altitude.’
Read More: Air Force loses $115 million gunship to a ‘sideslip’
