Top Gun pilot forgot landing gear

[Tucson] Arizona Daily Star ^ | 05.10.2006 | Carol Ann Alaimo

[IonImplantGuru]

A former Navy Top Gun with decades of flying experience forgot to put his plane's landing gear down during an air show practice run in Tucson in March, the Federal Aviation Administration found.

Retired Capt. Dale "Snort" Snodgrass, a seasoned pro on the military air-show circuit, was piloting a Korean War-era F-86 Sabre that scraped to a stop and caught fire in the March 4 mishap at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. Snodgrass, 57, was given counseling as "corrective action," according to the FAA report, obtained by the Arizona Daily Star under the Freedom of Information Act.

The pilot was unhurt in the incident, which shut down air-show practice at D-M that day. The vintage warplane he was flying, owned by a California air museum, sustained minor damage when one of its wing fuel tanks ignited.

The F-86 was one of dozens of warplanes in Tucson to practice formation flying for the 2006 air-show season. The event was not open to the general public. Snodgrass remains on the Air Force schedule this season. The service still has "total confidence in his abilities," according to a statement from the Air Combat Command.

Snodgrass, a Florida resident, declined to comment on the FAA finding.

[Beckwith]

For those of us that are earth bound, what does ...

and he came back with a HUD tape full of Snort's Tomcat.

mean?

Thanks . . .

[mbynack]

When I was in Germany an experienced Army Helo pilot walked into the spinning tail rotor of his own UH-1. Everybody has a bad day. The difference is, when I screw up I get ridiculed by my coworkers (it happens frequently); when a pilot screws up it makes national news.

[doorgunner69]

Had him in his sights, with the tape recording to prove it.

[redgolum]

The universal expression for a bad day.

Since he didn't wreck the plan, he must have figured it out and tried to pull out of it. She must have settled rather gently.

[Pukin Dog]

Yeah, but I knew him when he worked on the hill as USN liason to the House and he was as obnoxious as they come.

Are you sure that wasn't me? I'm told I was the worst jerk in Washington during my stint. LOL.

Heard of Sluggo, never met him, but heard he was good.

[Pukin Dog]

Art Scholl is a hero of mine. Watched him die during TopGun filming.

[IonImplantGuru]

From this year's Davis-Monham airshow practice. F-22 Raptor, 2 P-51 Mustangs, and an F-16. Pardon image quality but I was on the golf course, they were at altitude, and all I had was my point-and-shoot digital. Still ... lots of interesting combos of aircraft. Nothing with an F-86, but I took my shots on a Sunday; the F-86 bellied on Saturday. The Sabre was repaired in a few days, good enough to fly back to Chino.

[Hatteras]

"There are two kinds of pilots, those who have forgotten to deploy landing gear, and those who haven't yet."

There are two kinds of boaters, those who have forgotten the plug, and those who haven't yet.

But, don't worry. You'll only do it once. ;-)

[ExpatGator]

Yeah, it really roasts my 'nads when someone makes yucks at the misfortune of those who sacrifice years or decades of their lives defending them. If a pilot of similar experience wants to bust his chops, then fine. Everyone else should offer to shine his boots.

[ArrogantBustard]

Do I recall correctly that he was the pilot in this image:

[ArrogantBustard]

Never mind ...

[AxelPaulsenJr]

"Hey fellas, my gear down"?

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

The HUD camera video tapes missile and gun firing. Simulated firings are a good training tool as planes play " you're it" all the time. The camera is only on during the shooting or firing meaning a tape just showing empty sky would be considered a "miss". A HUD tape full of another plane means the pilot doing the "shooting" would have killed the one on the tape several times over if it was real combat.

They reuse the tapes over and over until they're worn out.

[TexasTransplant]

>>>>>"How do you know you landed "gear up"?

Easy, it takes full power to taxi!"<<<<<

That there is funny, I don't care who you are...

TT

[Bob]

but have tried to imagine that split second of recognition (OMG, the gear!)

I think the technical term for that instant is the "oh-no"second. It's shorter than a nanosecond but seems to last forever.

[ExpatGator]

Yeah, that was a sad day. I probably saw Art fly 20 or so times. We never missed an airshow within 200 miles when I was a kid.

My brothers and I got to pull Bevo's chocks, and my oldest bro still has the ribbon that Bevo snatched while upside down, ten feet off the deck. Awesome experience, made possible by a father who was Dept. Head of AIMD Lakehurst. That was 35 or 36 years ago and I still remember it vividly.

[American_Centurion]

Pukin, can you explain WTF is going on in that pic? I'm no pilot but from my perspective, which is probably wrong, it looks like everything is going to $#1T in that pic.

Thanks.

[thinking]

from the cockpit recorder....11:00 pilot: oh what a beautiful morning, this bird is really smooth; I will grease this one, oh what a beautiful morning.....11:02 sound of flaps deploying...11:02:30 pilot: oh what a beautiful day, imagine getting paid to do this...aw that Mary, what a great lady she is, I wonder if she is waiting at the hangar, I have the afternoon off, and we can have lunch together...11:03: sound of metal against pavement 11:03:05 pilot: dam

[P8riot]

Hey there were Pukin Dogs when I was on the Ike from 83 to 87. Any relation?