Posted on 04/07/2012 9:37:33 AM PDT by Drew68
Zooming along at 170 mph in a fighter jet carrying thousands of pounds of volatile fuel, two Navy pilots faced nothing but bad choices when their aircraft malfunctioned over Virginia's most populated city.
"Catastrophic engine system failure right after takeoff, which is always the most critical phase of flying, leaves very, very few options," said aviation safety expert and decorated pilot J.F. Joseph. "You literally run out of altitude, air speed and ideas all at the same time," he said.
Somehow, however, the student pilot and his instructor and everyone on the ground survived Friday when the men ejected from their F/A-18D jet moments before it crashed in a fireball in an apartment complex courtyard. The pilots and five on the ground were hurt, but all but one aviator were out of the hospital hours later.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
You, me and everyone else!
fortunatley, God cut them some slack.
One of the commentators said yesterday it would be a “Good Friday/Passover Miracle” if no one was killed. Guess that’s what it is!
My first exposure to news since yesterday that points to no causalities. Pinging in case you didn’t know.
Since no one died, at least one of the MSM scumbags will trot out some talking head who will claim that there had been no reason to ditch the plane, and that the pilot should be prosecuted. Thanks Drew68.
We know it was luck that no one was killed. There could have been many deaths.
Did they report how many evacuated immediately? Or was it just that no one was home?
Is there any backup electrical power on F-18s after the turbine flames out?
I remember reading an article in “Approach” the safety magazine for Naval Aviation (Navy & USMC) telling of a low level high speed instrument training mission in an A-4.
500 feet AGL (above ground level), 250 knots, the student (STUD) in the back seat under “the hood” (a light fabric pull-over dome blocking outside vision) flying by instruments alone.
Instructor pilot (IP) in the front seat, watching for other aircraft, radio towers, etc.
The aircraft hit a large bird (believed to have been a buzzard) which shattered the windscreen, the remains landing in the IP’s lap.
STUD in the back seat hears a BANG!, feels 250 knots of wind buffeting the cockpit, and sees blood & guts (the buzzard’s) streaming around the back of the front seat.
STUD thinks - Explosion! IP is dead! I’m at 500’ AGL, 250 kts AND under the Hood. Time to leave!
STUD ejects!
IP in front seat, windscreen gone, dead buzzard in his lap, feathers in his mouth, 250kts of wind buffeting him, hears & feels STUD eject.
IP thinks, “500’ AGL, 250Kts, can’t see instruments! STUD must know something I don’t know and the IP ejects.
When asked why he ejected from a flyable aircraft, the STUD explains to the Accident Board, which muses a bit and says, “Well, it was flyable, but given the circumstances, your decision was valid.”
IP sanding tall in front of the Board gets same question. Explains his reasoning. Again, the Board muses a bit and says, “Well, it was flyable, but given the circumstances, your decision was valid.”
BTW, I’ve hit both a swallow (on the windscreen in a Jet Ranger) and a seagull (at night, in the dead-center of the nose avionics hatch in a CH-53, at night) At 110 or 150 mph a bird strike makes a LOT of noise! Both really got my attention!
And the Media machine is disappointed...
Thank God! This is a genuine miracle there was no loss of life.
Thanks for posting, Drew and for the ping, Gene.
Maybe we'll see something like "White pilots crash plane in minority neighborhood."
Thank GOD.
LOL! I'm sure Jesse and Al are carefully researching the demographics while privately lamenting the lack of carnage.
Thank You, Lord God, for a Passover / Easter miracle! May the lives You spared be lived for Your glory!
Is it correct that the IP managed to dump some fuel before crashing?
These guys can do some amazing things.
500 feet and 500 knots, I dodged a number of buzzards, looked at my flight lead, and then...*#@$ there was one that I hadn’t seen. Blew a hole 3 feet wide in my F-4 canopy. The F-4 glass is about 1/2 inch thick. Needless to say it got my attention. Fortunately, both my back seater and I were just fine. But there was one chunk of canopy shaped like a sharp knife, poking me in my left arm. But no cuts, no abrasions, just a lot of noise. We were blessed!!
Ouch!
Man, you were blessed!
....aren’t we all....
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