ooops!!

[tony draper]

http://www.jetblasters.com/vhcv8yqfrnsu/cgi-bin/gallery/view_photo.php?set_albumName=album13&id=T_Bird_6_front_ejectResized



Pilot is fine, apparently did a loop over the runway and came out a bit low, have a vid clip of the incident taken from inside the cockpit, but I dunno how to post it.


PS, the VCR'S in those F16's must be pretty robust.

:uhoh:

[Divergent Phugoid!]

Can't wait to read Flowers letter home this time!!

:E :E :E



(Is this from Unmanned Transports, Rethinking the role of Human Pilots thread on. Airlines Airports and Routes forum??)

[jayteeto]

Looks an excellent picture, but is it a set up for a deliberate ejection?

[tony draper]

Certainly not deliberate,as I said, in the clip the pilot is happily sitting in the cockpit doing his thing, flattens out at the botom of the loop low and decides to get the hell out, the still makes it look as in his craft is heading back up the hill but it must have still had a lot of downward momentum.

Just had another look at the clip I was wrong,it wasn't a loop,the pilot does a low pass along the runway pulls up, rolls inverted and pulls back down, thats we usta call a split S I think, its one of those annoying clips with the camers looking back at the pilot instead of out toward the pointy end.
Wonder if he got wrong for breaking his airyplane?
:uhoh:

[DamienB]

Fantastic picture :ok:

Rumour has it somebody was working with altitude above sea level instead of above ground level for his display... :O

[Man-on-the-fence]

That is possibly the best photograph I have ever seen.

[normally left blank]

Amazing!
The wing flaps and vortices suggest max G (9).
The pilot looks quite short. How many G is he suffering?

Best regards

[Warped Factor]

You can see the video (4mb) here (http://www.f-16.net/PhotoGallery/album44/aby.mpg).

WF.

[Noah Zark.]

I think there's a bit of a clue if you look at the heat haze from the motor both just below the a/c, and above/behind it.
It suggests that the aircraft is still "mushing" towards terra firma (remember, the more firma, the more terra!).

[RobinXe]

Hope it was either taken with a very long lens, or the snapper can run prety fast. Gotta admire the kind of photographer who is thinking about snapping when everyone else is thinking about running.

[MajorMadMax]

Actually, he is a USAF Thunderbird pilot who punched out at Mountain Home AFB in Idaho (great place, BTW) back in September...

PRESS RELEASE -- Secretary of the Air Force, Directorate of Public Affairs

Release No. 0121045
Jan 21, 2004

Thunderbirds Accident Report Released

LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. - Pilot error caused a U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds F-16 aircraft to crash shortly after takeoff at an air show Sept. 14 at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho.
The pilot ejected just before the aircraft impacted the ground.

According to the accident investigation board report released today, the pilot misinterpreted the altitude required to complete the "Split S" maneuver. He made his calculation based on an incorrect mean-sea-level altitude of the airfield. The pilot incorrectly climbed to 1,670 feet above ground level instead of 2,500 feet before initiating the pull down to the Split S maneuver.

When he realized something was wrong, the pilot put maximum back stick pressure and rolled slightly left to ensure the aircraft would impact away from the crowd should he have to eject. He ejected when the aircraft was 140 feet above ground -- just eight --tenths of a second prior to impact. He sustained only minor injuries from the ejection. There was no other damage to military or civilian property.

The aircraft, valued at about $20.4 million, was destroyed.

Also, the board determined other factors substantially contributed to creating the opportunity for the error including the requirement for demonstration pilots to convert mean sea level and above ground level altitudes and performing a maneuver with a limited margin of error.

For more information, contact the ACC Public Affairs office at (757) 764-5007 or e-mail [email protected].


Luckily the pilot survived with minor injuries...he had more than 1,500 hours as an Air Force pilot, with more than 1,200 hours in F-15 C/D and F-16 C/D.

Cheers! M2

[Gainesy]

I bet the pilot thinks its the best photograph he's ever seen.

[lamer]

view from outside (toward the end) (http://www.f-16.net/PhotoGallery/album44/abz.wmv)

[breakscrew]

Now if they had used QFE, they would have saved themselves $20m. Anyone out there with poor schools and hospitals?

[teeteringhead]

breakscrew

narrowly beat me to it!! How can anyone contemplate flying a display (or landing for that matter) on anything other than QFE:confused: :confused:

[propulike]

Just watched the vid. Pity the pilot's expression isn't visible as he realises it's all gone wrong ;) , but very nice to see the seat working before the cameras goes dead. As the thread says - oops!!!

[John Eacott]

Another view of the pic has just come to light. Ooops, indeed!


http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/upfiles/27454/Vt56382.jpg

[Fence-sitter(?)]

There's pretty comprehensive stuff here... http://www.avweb.com/newswire/10_06a/briefs/186633-1.html for those still interested.

[Navy_Adversary]

Apparently Capt Stricklin is now flying a desk at the Pentagon, hope he gets back in the air soon.