Two Enterprise F-14s Return Safely After Colliding

Navy Newsstand ^ | 2/3/2004 9:22:00 AM | U.S. 5th Fleet Public Affairs

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

MANAMA, Bahrain (NNS) -- Two F-14A Tomcats operating from USS Enterprise (CVN 65) in the Red Sea collided with each other while conducting basic daytime fighter maneuvers Feb. 2.

No one was injured during the incident, and both aircraft landed safely aboard Enterprise.

One F-14 sustained minor damage to its right wingtip, and the other’s right vertical stabilizer had nearly been sheared off. The Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 1 F-14s are “Checkmates” from Fighter Squadron (VF) 211, home-based at Naval Air Station Oceana, Va.

The incident is under investigation, and Enterprise is still able to continue its present mission.

The Enterprise Carrier Strike Group is currently deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom.

For related news, visit the Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/Commander, 5th Fleet Navy NewsStand page at www.news.navy.mil/local/cusnc.

040125-N-1928O-087 Persian Gulf (Jan. 25, 2004) – An F-14 Tomcat assigned to the “Checkmates” of Fighter Squadron Two One One (VF-211) prepares to land on the flight deck aboard USS Enterprise (CVN 65). Enterprise and Carrier Air Wing One (CVW-1) are in the Arabian Gulf on a regularly scheduled deployment, conducting missions in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and the continued war on terrorism. U.S. Navy photo by Journalist 2nd Class Mark O'Donald. (RELEASED)

[radu]

I'm so glad no one was hurt!

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

One involved a wheel that snapped off during a landing and flew across the deck, hit a rescue truck, and seriously bruised a crewman's ankle.

That's really scary. The guy was lucky that he only got bruised.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

031122-N-9742R-005 Arabian Gulf (Nov. 22, 2003) – An F-14 Tomcat assigned to the “Checkmates” of Fighter Squadron Two One One (VF-211) launches from the flight deck of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 65). Enterprise and Carrier Air Wing One (CVW-1) are in the Arabian Gulf on a regularly scheduled deployment conducting missions in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom and the continued war on terrorism. U.S. Navy photo by Photographer's Mate Airman Milosz Reterski. (RELEASED)

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

[windchime]

Bump!

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

Great pics. Thank you!

[Yo-Yo]

Picture Wing rolled almost 90 INTO lead, after starting a left push. Port Stab could be below Lead's Starboard wing, while the Starboard stab is still above. In Eschelon, Wing would be slightly below Lead for just that reason; safe separation.

OK, I'm picturing Lead flying straight and level, and Wing to his Starbord, and rolled 90 degrees left. I'm picturing Lead slightly behind Wing and decelerating. I'm picturing Wing's Starbord Vertical Stabalizer touching Lead's Starbord wingtip. The only way I can picture Lead's Starbord wingtip touching Wing's Starbord vertical stab is to have the trailing edge of Lead's wing strike the leading edge of Wing's starbord vertical stab, and nothing else.

Now I'm trying to picture what happens to Wing's aircraft in the next milisecond. Rolled 90 degrees left, his aircraft turns into Lead, and somebody's radome is going to need a new paint job.

OK, now picture this: The original story never said that the accident occured during formation flight. It occured while the two aircraft were performing "daytime fighter maneuvers" which means two guys having fun on a nice clear day. When two aircraft perform dogfight training, one will break formation and the fight starts with the two aircraft closing on each other (Tally ho!) Now, these two gentlemen are head to head, and each one is going to make sure that the other one breaks first. Wing ends up crossing to the left and just below Lead, but misjudges his altitude slightly and his starbord vertical stab strikes Lead's right wingtip. The impact is severe enough that it shears off the Vertical Stab, and damages the wingtip.

I guess we'll have to wait for the official accident report.

[TruthNtegrity]

And they're doing the same complaining near Patuxent River Naval Air Station.

To which, I say,

How old is your house?
How long has the base been there?
What did your realtor tell you?
Did you visit your intended purchase at times other than when it was shown to you?


Jet engines. The sound of freedom.

[TruthNtegrity]

Thanks so much.

Got it. Visuals make sense now from what you wrote.

[Pukin Dog]

I'm assuming a formation bump, because anything else would have very likely resulted in their deaths. I wish I could draw it for you, but Lead is OUT FRONT, slowing. Wing catches the decel too late to react. Being almost under Lead and diving, he rolls left while pushing. Wings were certainly in sweep, or the starboard wing would have come off at the pivot point.

Either way, just glad they are alive.

[Pukin Dog]

When two aircraft perform dogfight training, one will break formation and the fight starts with the two aircraft closing on each other (Tally ho!)

Actually Yo, A 'Tally' only means visual contact. A 'fights-on call is what will start the ACM. In a 1v1 fight, head on starts are not always typical. In training, varying-aspect attacks and defenses are practiced. One never knows whether contact will appear in front or behind. There is an enemy doctrine that actually begins with NOE flying under the bogey with a pull up into an rear attack while first shot comes in the vertical before a tally is possible.

My point is that during 1v1 ACM, rarely is their a moment when one or the other pilot is not pulling into, or rolling around the lift vector of the other plane. Doubtful either pilot would lose SA during ACM to the point of running into each other.

[Severa]

That sounds like my usual response to them too. NAS Oceana has been in existence since the late '40s. Anyone who bought houses around here after that knew what they were getting into, IMHO.

[TruthNtegrity]

Great pictures. Thanks for posting them.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

Yep, I've seen it. Quite a story. I taped a show on the Discovery Channel (or TLC?) called When Pilots Eject. It featured Lt. Gallagher's partial ejection and showed some really interesting video of it. It's amazing that he came out of that with only some cuts and bruises, he very easily could have been killed for a bunch of different reasons.

[TruthNtegrity]

I'm glad that I read somewhere that you are halfway through your hubby's sea tour. Countdown in process.

We have Duller airport here, which I know you've heard of. There has been a huge industrial buffer around Dulles - always intended to keep houses from encroaching on the airport and then starting the whining about takeoffs and landings.

A big parcel was sold - and the developer apparently didn't "need" all the land for industrial development and a HOUSING developer bought it. Guess what has now started? Yup - complaining about the flights that go all night, the noise, the takeoffs and landings over their houses which wake up their babies, and on and on and on. I wrote a letter to the editor that actually contained the lines in my earlier post. How long has the airport been there? When was your house built?

The complainers make me crazy.

Occasionally the jets and choppers flying protection over DC wake me up in the middle of the night. I maintain their is one pilot who uses my chimneys as an outer boundary marker! Anyway, when I wake up, it takes a minute before I realize what it was that woke me up, realize that it means the President and the Capitol must be in danger again, and then I realize that THAT is why the jets are flying, and I immediately feel safer and roll over and go back to sleep.

I grew up next to Mitchell AFB in Garden City, LI, NY.

Jets are the sound of freedom.

[Trueblackman]

I loved the Pukin Dogs and I and the rest of GW/CAG-7 was pissed off when Clinton and the PC Crowd had the name simply changed to the DOGS because some female WSO and her mother complained.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

No joke, it reminds me of the idiots that buy houses a quarter mile off the runway of Hill Air Force Base and then constantly bitch about the noise from the F-16s. They're always whining at city council meetings and writing letters-to-the-editor because the jets do a lot of night ops over the Utah Test Range.

These people are just unbelievable. Hill AFB has been around since the 1920's. These geniuses buy their houses 70+ years later within plain sight of the runway directly under the takeoff path and insist that the Air Force change their entire operational schedule to meet their wants. These people don't need the city council and the base commander to talk nice and kiss up to them, these people need some good old-fashioned thump therapy.

[Yo-Yo]

Sir,

Thank you for explaining what "Tally Ho" means. I was afraid that the Navy version was different than the Air Force usage, but fortunately you have alleviated my fears. Could you please enlighten me further on the following term:

Bravo Sierra ;^)

In your scenario, what would be the max closing rate between the two aircraft be? Do you think that closing rate would be enough to knock off a vertical stab? I don't. The Navy keeps up with corrosion control better than that, and I'm sure that Grumman built the F-14 with a bit more strenght into a vertical stab that sees Mach 1.5+ IAS and sustains severe side forces during maneuvers.

Unless the story has it's facts screwed up, which is likely, I cannot imagine how two aircraft flying formation as you describe can sustain damage to a right wingtip and a right vert stab without also taking out the left vert stab or more. I could see that happening if it were a right wing tip and a left vertical stab, but not this right-right as reported. Occam's Razor suggests that it is more likely either the two were head to head during the mishap, or else one aircraft was flying formation inverted. I think the latter will prove to be the case.

May we agree to disagree?

[Pukin Dog]

We can certainly agree to disagree.

I think I'm entitled to a bit more respect than "Bravo Sierra" when it comes to things like this. Were I inclined, I could point you to previous mishaps that would bear me out.

But on the other hand, what do I know? I only flew the Tomcat for most of my career. Surely, I have no business commenting, so I'll leave it to your expert opinion.

[Severa]

Hey this was in our local Jet Observer, thought you'd be interested in seeing it :

'Pukin' Dogs' join USS George Washington (CVN-23) Battle Group

The world famous "Pukin' Dogs" of VF-143 departed NAS Oceana Jan.20 to join the USS George Washington (CVN-23) Battle Group for their 2004 deployment. After a long work-up cycle that started last spring, the squadron aircrew and maintenance personnel are ready to bring their own special version of the War on Terrorism to the enemy. "This squadron has trained exceptionally hard last year for deployment and the Dogs are ready to finally get to work." says Cmdr. Chris Murray, the commanding officer of Fighter Squadron 143. As a member of Air Wing Seven, the only air wing in the Navy to have two F-14 Tomcat squadrons, VF-143 will be significant contributors to the United States' efforts in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.