US Air Force Grounds Fleet of Planes Because Their Tails Could Fall Off Mid-Air

A KC-135 Stratotanker from the 168th Air Refueling Wing refuels F-22 Raptors from the 3rd Wing over the Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex flying along side with an F-15 Eagles from the 144th Fighter Wing, on April 18, 2022. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Charles Vaughn

The Air Force has grounded hundreds of KC-135 refueling planes until they are inspected for a potentially faulty part in the tail section, officials said this week.

The Air Force ordered the inspections Tuesday for a “non-conforming part in the vertical tail assembly,” according to the U.S. Air Force Materiel Command in a statement published on Wednesday. “The Time Compliance Technical Order restricts flight operations until the approximately 30-minute inspection is completed.”