Posted on 08/29/2014 8:30:34 AM PDT by Gopher Broke
Officials say missing pilot fatally injured
Posted: Aug 27, 2014 10:30 AM EDT Updated: Aug 29, 2014 1:18 AM EDT
By Rachel Lucas, Digital Journalist - bio | email
Officials have confirmed Thursday that the pilot in Wednesday's crash F-15C Eagle was fatally injured. No word on whether officials have found the pilot's body. The pilot's name is being withheld pending notification of family members.
Prayers for One of America’s Finest, his Family and Friends. Fly Fast, Sir, Fly Free! Thank You for your sacrifice to Fly Fast for Freedom!
Even assuming he ejected the process of ejection is a very dangerous action.....our prayers are with his family!!
The Air Force has secured the crash scene and remains onsite. Witnessess say they heard the crash from miles away. Scott Jones, a contracted worker for Dominion Power was with his crew in the woods almost two miles away when they heard the blast. They say they heard two explosions.
At this point, no parachute or ejection seat has been found among the wreckage.
An EMS official who wishes to remain unnamed says the crash site is “nothing but a charred black hole.” He says the only thing found near the site was small bits of debris, a tire wheel and jet fuel.
Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I’ve climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds...and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of...wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov’ring there,
I’ve chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air.
Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue
I’ve topped the windswept heights with easy grace
Where never lark, or even eagle flew.
And, while with silent, lifting mind I’ve trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.
John Gillespie Magee Jr.
Early reports said a parachute was spotted.
No updates since
It could be there is no “body” but they may have cadaver dogs that can pick up something.
>> how can they confirm he’s dead?
They didn’t confirm he was dead; they confirmed he was “fatally injured”.
:-o
nor do they want the world to know what human remains they found at the site until they have contacted his family
RIP brave man
No argument about survival rate but:
Are injuries common?
About one in three will get a spinal facture, due to the force when the seat is ejected - the gravitational force is 14 to 16 times normal gravity and it might be applied at 200G per second. Bruising and abrasions are typical from the shock of the chute opening or the air blast. In the early days, there were cases where pilots would eject into very-high-speed air and it would whip their arms behind and break them, pop their shoulders out; same thing could happen to the legs.
As I said it’s a very dangerous maneuver!!!
The reason I asked his name the other day? I don’t recall them with holding a name so long before. Seemed fishy. Any doubt a gummint that would put a shrink at Ft Hood where he could shoot 50 folks wouldn’t put some one named Muhamed in a cockpit of a fighter?
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.