Posted on 02/27/2010 11:34:01 AM PST by Jet Jaguar
SAN AIR BASE, South Korea — An Air Force pilot escaped serious injury Thursday when he ejected before his F-16 fighter crashed while landing, authorities said.
Base officials did not immediately identify the pilot, who was treated at the base hospital for minor cuts and released, said 1st Lt. Chris Hoyler, a spokesman for Osan’s 51st Fighter Wing.
There were no other injuries or property damage reported in the crash, which occurred around 12:40 p.m., said.
The fighter, an F-16C, had nearly touched down when the pilot ejected, Hoyler said.
The pilot, assigned to the wing’s 36th Fighter Squadron, had just taken part in a routine training flight in which he and two other F-16s practiced mock attacks on ground targets, Hoyler said.
The plane did not catch fire and remained structurally intact after the crash.
“As far as its future flyability … that won’t be decided until a thorough analysis is completed,” Hoyler said.
Hoyler said reasons why the pilot ejected and whether the day’s rains and cloudy skies were a factor are currently under investigation.
Pacific Air Forces headquarters in Hawaii will appoint a board to issue written findings on the crash.
F-16 Ping.
Very strange set of circumstances ... are they searching for the plane captain that convinced the pilot that the bird was equipped with a new experimental landing system and the activation lever was right where the ejection seat lever used to be?
Oh, Boy! If he goofed the landing he’s looking at a $30 million + deduction from his wages.
Maybe the pilot had to pee.
It’s happened before. I was at Shaw AFB when that very thing happened to one there.
Pilot “overlooked” his BINGO warning, declared IFE and crashed about a 1/4 -1/2 mile short of the runway. He got out.
Shocking news, but fighter pilots are human, though we are zipper-suited sun-gawds, we sometimes make mistakes.
Rare, but it does happen.
Even rarer is when you make a mistake and you live to tell about it.
Well... that's odd. I take it that all the wheels were on the ground already when he ejected? The plane I suppose just kept on rolling...
There was the F-106 where the pilot ejected at altitude, yet the aircraft landed safely in a cornfield. It was fixed up and flew again.
Yeah on both points.
His chute barely opened, that’s how low he was.
Missed it by _ much!
Heard the IFE call on the radio, saw him on approach, turned to look at a Barksdale BUFF on the ramp for a couple of seconds looked back and saw the black plume come up with his chute in the smoke.
I really thought he was going to make it.
You must be a Navy type.
The Air Force term for the enlisted guy that is responsible for maintaining an aircraft is called a “crew chief”.
It could be a return of the ol “stray voltage” problem, remember the F16 is fly by wire and over 30 crashed in its first 36 months of operations back in the late 70s & early 80s due to bad wire harnesses, etc.
Glad he got of unharmed.
Excuse my ignorance: is ejecting just matter of “pulling a trigger” or do you have to unlock this and that and pull the other thing and a blast curtain, like in the movies? A finger on the trigger could get itchy, as they say.
Check this out:
http://www.ejectionsite.com/f16seat.htm
On the ground there are safty pins installed to prevent accidental ejection but they are removed prior to flight and all one has to do is pull the lever.
Shocking news, but fighter pilots are human, though we are zipper-suited sun-gawds, we sometimes make mistakes.Of course. That's why there are navigators. ;^)Rare, but it does happen.
Correct you are.
During pre-brief, I would say to my WSO, “You have a vote, so speak up, but I have 51% of the vote. Regardless, you have an over-riding ‘veto’ if need be (command ejection).”
Just pull & go. As a WSO, I used to keep a hand at the top of the handle on takeoff and uncomfortable landings - 1/4 second could be the difference between a swing in the chute & not. That way, all I had to do was make a fist and pull the sucker.
Never needed to, but I can remember a few landings bouncing from side to side where I came close...and the time an F-15 took the departure end barrier and didn’t tell anyone! By the time he appeared out of the rain, it was way too late, but somehow the nosegunner managed to slide us past him. Bit of grass in one tire, but we stopped, called the tower for him, and then cussed for several minutes in relief at being alive.
Departure end cable, to be more precise.
Thanks for the info. I grew up an air force brat, as they said back then. Buf’s and SAC though...
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