How not to land a B-1 Lancer

[SkyHawk-N]

A catalogue of errors me thinks!




LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. (AFPN) -- Pilot error caused a B-1 Lancer to crash while landing on the runway at a forward-deployed location May 8, 2006, according to an aircraft accident investigation report released here Sept. 18.

The co-pilot suffered a minor back injury and the other three crew members were not injured.

Damage totaled approximately $7.9 million for the aircraft and the damage to the runway totaled approximately $14,025. The aircraft is assigned to the 9th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron of the 7th Bomb Wing at Dyess AFB, Texas.

Investigators concluded the cause of the mishap was both pilots' failure to lower the landing gear during the aircraft's approach and landing. Contributing factors for the pilots' failure to lower the landing gear were the co-pilot's task oversaturation; the co-pilot's urgency to complete a long mission; both pilots' inattention to instrument readings and the descent/before landing checklist, and the co-pilot's false belief the pilot had lowered the landing gear.

According to the report, the pilot unexpectedly turned over aircraft control to the co-pilot on the final approach. The pilot reported to the air traffic control tower that the landing gear was down despite the fact that the descent/before landing checklist was never completed and the landing gear was never lowered. The red warning light in the gear handle, indicating all landing gear was not down and locked, was illuminated for more than four minutes during the approach.

Additionally, at the time the aircraft landed, the three green position lights, which illuminate after the landing gear has locked in the down position, were not illuminated.

(Courtesy of Air Combat Command News Service)

[brickhistory]

Yikes, that's going to take a long time to pay off!:cool:

[Zoom]

So what was the stewardess doing all this time?

[Rick Storm]

Same old problem (in perspective) 'familiarity breeds contempt' who's pressed the car key fob (central locking, hear the clunk) and not checked the door is locked? Happens to us all.

Rick

[umba]

Crikey, what shape are the Yanks' hyd oil tins?

[SASless]

It begs the question...."When did they finally realize they had not lowered the gear?" When they had to use Afterburner to taxi....I reckon!

Wonder how those guys are enjoying the one man weather stations in the most remote regions of Alaska?

[LowObservable]

I don't think anyone involved will make Brigadier General...

[brickhistory]

Landing a B-1 gear up: $7,900,000
Repairing the runay: $14,025
The look on the faces when the 'oh sh*t' light illuminated: priceless
Some things you just can't buy, for everything else there's the USAF budget....



And just who remembered the poor navs (ok, OSO and DSO) when this ride commenced? One wonders why they didn't reach for the black/yellow handles.....

[green granite]

I don't think anyone involved will make Brigadier General...

Oh I don't know probably get accelerated promotion "out of harms way" :E

[On_The_Top_Bunk]

http://www.flightglobal.com/assets/getAsset.aspx?ItemID=12922

[junglyking]

See the full set of photos... (http://www.sftt.org/cgi-bin/csNews/csNews.cgi?database=Unlisted.db&command=viewone&id=41)

Sure we already did this once didn't we? :hmm:

[Tandemrotor]

This is great

With this and the C5, why do we let the Americans have all the fun? We should try harder! :}

[Navaleye]

To quote the Battle of Britain

"One of your elite trying to land without wheels again"

"Its enough to make you bloody weep."

[LowObservable]

My son (21) responded to the pix on IM with "undercarriage lever a bit sticky" so I came back with "I wouldn't tell the CO that if I were you".

Sometimes, your kids do reward you for everything...

[Skunkerama]

Ok, I'll ask the dumb question. When did they stop fitting the alarm to notify you of the fact that you were below 50 ft with flaps down but no undercarriage?

[Wader2]

[quote=SkyHawk-N;2861064]. Contributing factors . . . were the co-pilot's task oversaturation; the co-pilot's urgency to complete a long mission/quote]

Too much coffee and needed a p*ss.

And the Commander probably handed over control for the same reason.

Wonder if they had a p** before they unstrapped. :E

[Soundbarviolatr]

I don't think anyone involved will make Brigadier General...

Wha? have you not heard of the "*uck up move up policy?" :P Um, yeah, cereally, I concur with your statement.

[Soundbarviolatr]

[quote=SkyHawk-N;2861064]. Contributing factors . . . were the co-pilot's task oversaturation; the co-pilot's urgency to complete a long mission/quote]

Too much coffee and needed a p*ss.

And the Commander probably handed over control for the same reason.

Wonder if they had a p** before they unstrapped. :E


You bet yer hiney. You could fart on the side of the airframe and chip the paint you be peeing in a cup in front of medical personnel right before you get Q3 paperwork.

[Wader2]

[quote=Wader2;2862301]


peeing in a cup in front of medical personnel right before you get Q3 paperwork.

ROFLOL, yeah, forgotten that, came in long after my time.

[212man]

How could the co-pilot be "oversaturated"? Once you are saturated that's it :ugh: (saturation is when you can no longer absorb anymore)

[charliegolf]

Bet they find a way to blame the loadie. Don't have one on Bones- that won't stop 'em.

CG

[Soundbarviolatr]

[quote=Soundbarviolatr;2862324]

ROFLOL, yeah, forgotten that, came in long after my time.


Ahhh...I've heard about you guys in your days...matter of fact, the old Chief was showing me a pictures of a Crew somewhere in the orient hitting an exotic looking bong in uniform. I see nothing, I hear nothing, I know nothing. I am not knowing.:\

[Semper Jump Jet]

First thing they both did when they heard that crunch? Slap the gear handle down! :eek:

[Will Hung]

Nicely on the centre line though !

[BenThere]

A couple of years ago, on an approach around a thunderstorm and through reported wind sheer, I got down to about 300 feet on final before the other pilot pointed out the gear was up. We had briefed to delay landing flaps to accommodate the windsheer-appropriate speed on final, thus didn't get the warning horn. When I called for landing flaps, he pointed out the gear up condition. Probably would not have landed gear up, but I was guilty of forgetting the configuration.

After the adrenaline rush of the realization sinking in of my fallability and culpability, my opinion was reinforced that anyone could do it. It's a constant challenge in this game to maintain SA, fight complacency, and realize that every screw up or emergency is never anticipated at the beginning of the flight.

I also sat on an air force Flying Evaluation Board long ago examining the case of an O-2 pilot who had landed gear up. He had an otherwise spotless record as an aircraft commander and kept his wings.

[Wader2]

[quote=Wader2;2862329]


Ahhh...I've heard about you guys in your days...matter of fact, the old Chief was showing me a pictures of a Crew somewhere in the orient hitting an exotic looking bong in uniform. I see nothing, I hear nothing, I know nothing. I am not knowing.:\

I am sure this is funny but I am having a blonde moment. What is the story?

[Soundbarviolatr]

[quote=Soundbarviolatr;2862683]

I am sure this is funny but I am having a blonde moment. What is the story?

Tons. I don't even know where to start. But I did see pictures of the parties from Phuket to Utaphao to Clark and beyond. Bongs, prosteenties, and of course the ever present San Miguel. We try, but Crew Rest got knocked down to 12 hours everywhere and stayed there since 2000, not like the old days where you can partially recover enough from a hangover to walk the two flight of stairs up to the flightdeck, hang a right and an immediate left into the bunkroom! :}

I wonder if they even read back 3 green when they were cleared to land...

Carpe Diem
Effrego Obex,
SBV

[Roadtrip]

Don't call it a "Lancer." NOBODY calls it a "Lancer" except the PR people.

[ORAC]

AFM: The B1-B that made a belly landing at Diego Garcia was 86-0132, "Oh Hard Luck".

[SkyHawk-N]

Don't call it a "Lancer." NOBODY calls it a "Lancer" except the PR people.

Sorry, I thought that 'Lancer' was the B-1's official name. Apologies.

[ORAC]

, I thought that 'Lancer' was the B-1's official name. Apologies. Exactly, which is why no calls it by that name, anymore than anyone calls the Viper the Falcon or the Mudhen the Strike Eagle.

The B-1 is the Bone....

[SkyHawk-N]

Exactly, which is why no calls it by that name, anymore than anyone calls the Viper the Falcon or the Mudhen the Strike Eagle.
The B-1 is the Bone....

Hornet? Tomcat? Prowler? Talon? Phantom? .....

[Zoom]

212man
There is such a situation as 'super-saturated' but I've forgotten what it means. 'Super saturated steam' seems to come to mind.

[Soundbarviolatr]

212man
There is such a situation as 'super-saturated' but I've forgotten what it means. 'Super saturated steam' seems to come to mind.

Sounds like some of the dim sum I had in China Town last night....bbbbbbbrrrrraaaaaaaaaaacckkkkkkkk!!

[Semper Jump Jet]

Hornet? Tomcat? Prowler? Talon? Phantom? .....

Re-naming the aircraft seems to be more of an Air Force thing. Of course the USN/USMC does have other nicknames for their jets, but they don't seem to use them with the regularity as the USAF guys. Recently though I have heard the Super-Hornet referred to as a "Rhino", and I can almost gaurantee that since brass insists on calling the F-18G (EW version) the "Growler" that the pilots will adopt an alternate. (In case the lingo doesn't translate, "growler" is slang for a certain bodily function... as in "I've got to go take a 'growler' ". How'd you like to fly that! ;)

[Jim Dean]

It's amazing how easily it can happen though. I remember being at the end of a long day moving troops, lots of landing/take offs, in a Mk 2 sea-king when we forgot the gear. (the Mk 4 was much better). We had just got to that point where you'd expect to be feeling the ground when we realized; as I reached for the collective, the other guy was raising it!! Back on board we explained the bent ADF aerials as uneven ground!

[ORAC]

IIRC, the Prowler is the "Double Ugly" (Even uglier than the A-6 and twice the crew) and the F-18 is the "Plastic Bug", which probably means the F-18G will get called the "Electric Bug"......

[BenThere]

Others:

A-10 Thunderbolt - Warthog

B-52 Stratofortress - BUFF

Not F-111, though, Raven is the EF- and Aardvark is the F-. Ever heard crews call them anything else?

[SkyHawk-N]

To continue this thread drift, here is a list of nicknames just in case there is a posting from someone about the "Flying Tennis Court"!....

http://www.coastcomp.com/av/fltline2/nickname.htm

[ORAC]

I believe the RAAF call the F-111 the Pig.

To get slightly more back on track, the B-2 is known as the Beak, so the USAF bomber triumvirate is the Buff, the Bone and the Beak....

[Soundbarviolatr]

T-TAIL MAFIA:

C-141 Starlifter= S**TLIFTER

C-5 Galaxy= FRED (F***ing Ridiculously Expensive Disaster)

C-17 Globemaster= BARNEY (FRED's LITTLE friend) or BUDDHA (for short and fat) or the AMC Commuter