Posted on 11/21/2006 1:28:49 PM PST by EnjoyingLife
". . . After performing the usual impressive Demo, the Superhornet came in to land. Almost immediately upon touching down there was a loud "BANG" - he blew a tire. He got the jet slowed down and held it in the runway until the other tire gave way, then she broke loose. The back end came around, and you could see him fighting it and adjusting into it as much as possible, but things progressed and the plane spun around. He did almost a complete 360, then the tail end went off the runway and into the dirt. The stabs dug in, the nose lifted up, and for a moment things looked as if the jet would flip over backwards. . . ."
Photo gallery link: http://s102164210.onlinehome.us/forums/index.php?showtopic=103388
(Excerpt) Read more at s102164210.onlinehome.us ...
Very impressive photography!
Leading to ahis new call sign...."Plow Boy"
Great shots! I've blown a few tires, but never been spun around like that. Maybe the anti-skid system malfunctioned??
Dang Navy pilots... ;-)
Really, very glad he's OK. The plane appears to be mostly alright too.
Very impressive photos!
The back end came around...He did almost a complete 360...
He must have been watching "The Fast and the Furious; Tokyo Drift".
Jeez, never saw an airplane do a bootlegger reverse...
My wife mentioned something about Air Force One blowings its tires. Any news on that?
Great photography-thanks. I wonder if they gave any thought to ejecting.
COOL!
You gotta wonder how the photog just happened to be taking pictures at the time.
Could have worked as advertised. Seems like one of those "what ifs" that the only answer is "better hope it doesn't." His specific situation may have made the anti skid irrelevant.
Looked at the date and luckily for the AR shop ( Not sure what the Navy/Marines call Airframe Repair ) it doesn't seem like it will ruin their Turkey Day.
He only has to hold on for eight seconds to make it a qualified ride :-)
You may have nailed it. From the progression of photos it appears that both mains blew. That says to me that the pilot stomped on the brakes and expected the antilock to keep from flatspotting the tires.
Here's the first pic in the series, and already you can see both rims are on the runway.
Can't help but notice this is a TWO-SEATER.
I wonder WHICH pilot landed the aircraft???
The Lt. Cmndr in the front? or the LTJG in the back. heheh
time wil tell (or maybe I should read the article; but that's too easy)
LOL! It does seem to be trying to buck them off at that point.
Not necessarily a failure. The way most anti-lock brake systems work, if the pilot got the wheels completely locked BEFORE touchdown, they would stay locked on landing, unless the pilot released the brakes and re-grabbed them.
If he stomped the brakes, the airplane would be noticeably nose-down, eh? And why didn't the nose gear tires flatten as well. By my view, not too much weight on the front tire at all.
Doesn't look like the rear struts are fully compressed, so it doesn't appear to be a particularly hard landing.
BE nice to know what really happened here.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.