US E-3
US E-3
From the Las Vegas Review-Journal (spam version of the Northern Scot)
32-member crew escapes
Plane damaged while landing at Nellis AFB
A plane was damaged while landing at Nellis Air Force Base late Friday, causing the plane to catch fire and forcing its 32-member crew to escape.
The E-3 Sentry warning and control system, also known as an AWACS, was being flown by the 552nd Air Control Wing out of Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma, according to a Nellis spokesman.
The crew was deployed to Nellis as part of the base's Red Flag exercises and was returning from a mission when the incident occurred. Officials did not say how the aircraft was damaged.
Emergency crews at the base quickly extinguished the flames and the plane was evacuated safely.
Investigators have not determined the cause of the accident.
32-member crew escapes
Plane damaged while landing at Nellis AFB
A plane was damaged while landing at Nellis Air Force Base late Friday, causing the plane to catch fire and forcing its 32-member crew to escape.
The E-3 Sentry warning and control system, also known as an AWACS, was being flown by the 552nd Air Control Wing out of Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma, according to a Nellis spokesman.
The crew was deployed to Nellis as part of the base's Red Flag exercises and was returning from a mission when the incident occurred. Officials did not say how the aircraft was damaged.
Emergency crews at the base quickly extinguished the flames and the plane was evacuated safely.
Investigators have not determined the cause of the accident.
How many hangers-on must there have been on board I wonder?
?OK, OK- I'll get me coat.....
Seriously though, thank heavens everyone was safe.
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The E-3C Sentry carries a crew of 20 consisting of pilot (aircraft commander), co-pilot, navigator, flight engineer and 16 AWACS mission specialists. The rear-cabin crew is under a mission crew commander, and includes weapon controllers, radar operators and communications specialists.
So... 12 "looky-Lou"s.
So... 12 "looky-Lou"s.
First, the crew of 32 means that it was probably a full-up qualification/training mission, ie there would instructors or evaluators on board - if those are 'looky-Lous", fine.
Second, if my information is correct, the nose-gear doors would not open. And if the doors won't open, it doesn't matter how big your Johnson is!
Second, if my information is correct, the nose-gear doors would not open. And if the doors won't open, it doesn't matter how big your Johnson is!
!
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Second, if my information is correct, the nose-gear doors would not open.
Hmmm, so a known nose gear problem before landing and the decison was to take it in to Nellis and not Edwards?
Could be, but...
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brickhistory, Why Edwards and NOT Nellis?
Nellis has 2 runways, instead of one thus ops, landings and departures can all continue with just a bit of reshuffling.
Take it to Edwards with a problem and the potential to black the runway and suddenly you loose 100% of your runways - not a good idea.
Presumably all of the groundcrew, kit etc were at Nellis, so if I was the Captain, Nellis would have been my first choice also. bags of room etc. etc.
And lets face it, after an incident like that, you all need to get down to the strip and party, aswell as do some gambling. Clearly it is your lucky day!!
Well done to all concerned again.
Winco
Nellis has 2 runways, instead of one thus ops, landings and departures can all continue with just a bit of reshuffling.
Take it to Edwards with a problem and the potential to black the runway and suddenly you loose 100% of your runways - not a good idea.
Presumably all of the groundcrew, kit etc were at Nellis, so if I was the Captain, Nellis would have been my first choice also. bags of room etc. etc.
And lets face it, after an incident like that, you all need to get down to the strip and party, aswell as do some gambling. Clearly it is your lucky day!!
Well done to all concerned again.
Winco
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Winco,
I don't in any way criticize the actions of the crew and second the "well done to all" if that is the impression of my post.
I am a little leery of a known gear problem being handled at Nellis and not at one of several other alternatives. Such a known problem would involve many phone patches to Boeing, mother Tinker, etc, etc.
Any number of factors to which I am not privy could have resulted in the Nellis outcome which is why I hedged my post with a "Could be."
Doesn't change my gut feeling on it being a surprise to the crew when the nose came down much further than normal however.
The facts will come from the investigation, and I await those with interest.
I don't in any way criticize the actions of the crew and second the "well done to all" if that is the impression of my post.
I am a little leery of a known gear problem being handled at Nellis and not at one of several other alternatives. Such a known problem would involve many phone patches to Boeing, mother Tinker, etc, etc.
Any number of factors to which I am not privy could have resulted in the Nellis outcome which is why I hedged my post with a "Could be."
Doesn't change my gut feeling on it being a surprise to the crew when the nose came down much further than normal however.
The facts will come from the investigation, and I await those with interest.
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Out of interest, and just at face value, does that appear to be beyond economic repair? How valuable an asset is it and how would that consideration impact on the 'clench your buttocks and just sign the repair cheque' aspect of things? I suppose that if it were just a civvy airliner, it could be written off that much easier?
Evertonian
The E-3C Sentry carries a crew of 20 consisting of pilot (aircraft commander), co-pilot, navigator, flight engineer and 16 AWACS mission specialists. The rear-cabin crew is under a mission crew commander, and includes weapon controllers, radar operators and communications specialists.
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I think we would all be surprised just how little damage the frame has suffered, working on the premis that from experience it generally looks worse than it is. If you scrub off the soot, the skin is probably intact, with surprisingly little damage underneath. No doubt it was jacked up fairly sharpish, the nose gear lowered and towed into a shed in not too many hours.
Good job by the crew; glad no-one was hurt.
Good job by the crew; glad no-one was hurt.
Some clearer images of the Nellis E-3C here:
It will be interesting to see how long it takes to repair that little lot..
(and how many $$$)
Looks like the skin has more than a few holes in it.
sv
It will be interesting to see how long it takes to repair that little lot..
(and how many $$$)
Looks like the skin has more than a few holes in it.
sv
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
Given the airframe age, probably about 30, and the lower utiliasation recently ( I guess) I wonder if they will bother?