Has this done the rounds? I haven't seen it, but if it has please just zap it, or I will when back to me puter.
FW: F16 Bird Strike
READ THIS -- CAREFULLY -- FIRST; THEN WATCH THE VIDEO
Then watch it again. This is split second decision making!
F-16 engine ingests bird after takeoff @ Tyndall AFB.
It is certainly interesting to see a crash from the cockpit of an airplane.
There is an instructor pilot in the rear and a student in the front seat of an F-16.
A "Bird Strike," as seen through the Heads Up Display (HUD).
One can see the bird "flash-by" just prior to impacting the engine. One can hear the aircraft voice warning system telling them they have a problem and referring to the "D-6 NL" which means there is no engine RPM.
They made 2 attempts to relight the jet engine, but evidently there was too much damage from the bird strike and they had to get out.
These guys were very cool; note the heavy breathing ... they certainly flew longer than one would expect before ejecting. Airspeed can
be observed on the HUD's upper left corner. It goes down to the low 120's as they struggle to get the engine going again, but as the plane noses over and dives to earth it increases to at least 175 just before impact.
It just goes to show how quickly your day can go to pieces - 45 seconds from strike to ejection.
All and all, not bad. The pilots ran the emergency checklist, made two relight attempts, and picked out a plowed field for impact before ejecting.
You can follow the audio attached to it and hear the conversation between the pilot and instructor pilot, and then the tower, including the pilot saying they were punching out. The tower didn't seem to completely understand the situation, and missed the significance of the last transmission. The towers last radio call -- he's talking to an empty aircraft.
The video continues until impact, even after both pilots eject. A classic "buying the farm" as you can see the plow rows get bigger. A real nice job from the aircrew by keeping their cool and turning the aircraft away from populated areas.
Double click on still pic for video
