Lakenheath F-15 down, North Sea

[Fortissimo]

https://www.afjag.af.mil/Portals/77/...NAL_SIGNED.pdf

"The MP was an inexperienced F-15C pilot that had 270.7 total military flying hours on the date of the MS, including 64.3 hours in the F-15C/D and 151.7 F-15C simulator hours..."

No 4 in a 4 vs 6, base height of 4000ft, multi-layers from 1000ft upwards, no discernible horizon 4000-9000. No pressure. And no organizational/supervisory factors either.

[Mogwi]

Been there!

August '85 over the Channel in murk from 1000' to FL impossible. Vectored for an inbound at 10,000' and Freddie rolled me out 1/2 mile astern but I didn't have any radar contact - which was unusual even for me! Closed to 1/4 mile in cloud without contact, so assumed the D had got the height wrong and that the bogey was actually at low level below the crud.

Aggressively lowered the nose and started a fast descent, whilst desperately bogling the scope for a return. Completely lost SA and broke cloud below 1000', 40 degrees nose down at c480 kts. Immediately snatched a load of G and induced a high-speed stall. Relaxed slightly into light wing-rock and watched in horror as the horizon came up around my ears and the altimeter kept spinning down. I clearly remember it bottoming out some 50' below zero before starting to climb again. Luckily the HUD camera wasn't running, so I will never know how low I actually was.

The aircraft was a bit bent (+9G) but the tanks and flaps stayed on and I managed to calm the heartbeat down enough to land back onboard. Still gives me the shivers.

Disorientation is still a killer.

Mog

[ORAC]

Happened with an F-4 out of Leuchars when I was an FA at Buchan. BOI assumption was that he mistook the haar for another cloud layer and that the target was below.

https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/82602

Also happened with an F-3 out of Leeming when I was at Boulmer. Nav ejected in time, pilot left it too late and, IIRC, was found in the water with a deployed parachute.

https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/55442

I also recall the story of the Lightning who got disorientated whilst chasing a high level evading target and found himself in a vertical descent passing M1.3. Closed the throttle and pulled the stick back and waited. IIRC he blacked out as G increased and came to with the altimeter climbing through about 300ft, recovered and brought home a severely bent airframe.


RIP to the deceased in each case.

[Fortissimo]

And another F4 accident here: https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/68261 Both this and the accident ORAC refers to above involved CFIT rather than disorientation. Sadly, both also involved friends. As did the Lightning incident -the gentleman concerned told me the squadron boss asked why the hell he had pulled 10G. "Because I couldn't f****** pull any harder!" was the reply. I also recall someone on the F4 OCU at Coningsby in the 70s getting the nose buried at high speed doing ACT and having a similar experience with a high G recovery. Again, the difference from this sad F15 event is that it was recognised early, at altitude, and not at the last minute.

I am still left wondering about experience, environment and workload...

[BEagle]

I also recall the story of the Lightning who got disorientated whilst chasing a high level evading target and found himself in a vertical descent passing M1.3. Closed the throttle and pulled the stick back and waited. IIRC he blacked out as G increased and came to with the altimeter climbing through about 300ft, recovered and brought home a severely bent airframe.

I know the pilot, (JF). He told us that he took his head out of the radar and saw the nadir star of the AI in the middle of the display slowly rotating - indicating 90 deg nose down pitch. He closed the throttles, tried to extend airbrakes, but was over the IAS limit - then pulled as hard as he could, blacking out in the process. When he came to, he was in a climb at about 300ft with the IAS rapidly decreasing. Full reheat sorted that, then he levelled off and RTB'd rather gingerly. After landing, the engineers found remarkably little damage to the jet despite the extreme overstress and that actually helped to extend Lightning fatigue life (IIRC he was in a Mk3)! But he had an interesting pattern of g-suit lace marks up and down his legs for a few days, so he later told us!

[MightyGem]

Correct link from here:
Fatal mishap, F-15C. North Sea, June 2020

You Tube

[jumpseater]

Originally Posted by MightyGem

Correct link some bloke I follow here:
Fatal mishap, F-15C. North Sea, June 2020

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOb5BzdKbPo

fixed it for you

[Green Flash]

C. W. Lemoine

[West Coast]

Originally Posted by MightyGem

Correct link from here:
Fatal mishap, F-15C. North Sea, June 2020

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOb5BzdKbPo

Takes it from a clinical study of the accident to the tragedy it is when you learn even a little about the man who perished.

[MightyGem]

Originally Posted by jumpseater

fixed it for you

In the word of Manual, "Que?"

[jumpseater]

Originally Posted by MightyGem

In the word of Manual, "Que?"

Your original post said “correct link from here”

Just wondering where are the previous incorrect links? They all seem to go to relevant information just like yours does.

[MightyGem]

Your original post said “correct link from here”
Just wondering where are the previous incorrect links? They all seem to go to relevant information just like yours does.

The YouTube link in the first post is missing a few letters, so it doesn't work.