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Top Gun pilot forgot landing gear
[Tucson] Arizona Daily Star ^ | 05.10.2006 | Carol Ann Alaimo

Posted on 05/10/2006 7:28:38 AM PDT by 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.

(Excerpt) Read more at azstarnet.com ...


TOPICS: Extended News; Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: ace; f86; jetjockey; oops; sabre; topgun
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To: IonImplantGuru

Must be related to "Wheels Up Wesh", who trashed an A-7 on 32L at NASL and ripped the tail and wings off a rolling gears up landing. He also grounded CVN65 Enterprise on a sand bar in Frisco Bay losing his command because he had the con at the time.


61 posted on 05/10/2006 8:33:31 AM PDT by Mat_Helm
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To: P8riot
I became a Pukin Dog in 1995, with the disbandment of my squadron at that time, the VF-111 Sundowners.
62 posted on 05/10/2006 8:35:17 AM PDT by Pukin Dog (Sans Reproache)
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To: IonImplantGuru
Snodgrass, 57, was given counseling as "corrective action," according to the FAA report

As if that were needed.

"Mr. Snodgrass, when landing you must remember to put your gear down. We will now bill the government $1150 for outsourced counselling."

63 posted on 05/10/2006 8:36:25 AM PDT by ko_kyi
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To: Pukin Dog

Sorry I missed ya


64 posted on 05/10/2006 8:37:30 AM PDT by P8riot (Stupid is forever, ignorance can be fixed.)
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To: P8riot

Man, I really need to work on that sentence structure.


65 posted on 05/10/2006 8:38:52 AM PDT by P8riot (Stupid is forever, ignorance can be fixed.)
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To: American_Centurion
Sure.

Snort is coming up on the carrier at deck level from behind, motoring at 350-400 knots, and pulls into a bat-turn just before the fan tail. The second guy from the left in the picture is an Admiral, I think the current CNO at that time, and Snort wanted to say hello. Needless to say, he made his rep that day. 5 more degree of roll and he might have killed himself. If you look back at the tail, you will notice that he's got the elevons in full deflection, so he is pulling for all he's got.

66 posted on 05/10/2006 8:42:00 AM PDT by Pukin Dog (Sans Reproache)
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To: Pukin Dog

So, in otherwords, he's got it under control.....just barely. As it should be I guess! : ) The things you guys do at the speeds you do them at!


67 posted on 05/10/2006 8:57:39 AM PDT by American_Centurion (No, I don't trust the government to automatically do the right thing.)
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To: American_Centurion
Well, in the Tomcat, 'control' is always subject to debate. But yeah, in that instance, the aircraft is obeying the pilot.
68 posted on 05/10/2006 9:05:44 AM PDT by Pukin Dog (Sans Reproache)
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To: IonImplantGuru

This would never happen to Maverick or Goose


69 posted on 05/10/2006 9:06:20 AM PDT by BUDDYCAT
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To: Pukin Dog
You did a good deed by posting that info...

..probably most of us here don't know him, haven't heard of him...

..but are mighty impressed by your post about him!!-WOW

Everyone can have a lapse....

..and even his wasn't costly to life or property.

70 posted on 05/10/2006 9:07:35 AM PDT by Guenevere
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To: BUDDYCAT
This would never happen to Maverick or Goose

LOL!

71 posted on 05/10/2006 9:08:58 AM PDT by CaptainK (...please make it stop. Shake a can of pennies at it.)
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To: BUDDYCAT

A great scene in that movie, was when he parked his aircraft in the handicap parking spot.


72 posted on 05/10/2006 9:14:42 AM PDT by AxelPaulsenJr (Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.)
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To: BUDDYCAT
ha....Tom Cruise could only hope he was man enough to fly one of these......in his dreams!!!
73 posted on 05/10/2006 9:15:52 AM PDT by Guenevere
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To: P8riot
Were you on the Ike during her NNS yard period?
74 posted on 05/10/2006 9:16:26 AM PDT by Jonah Hex ("How'd you get that scar, mister?" "Nicked myself shaving.")
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To: lormand

And it doesn't matter what you fly, either - I forgot to do it on a hang glider once (the procedure is you unzip your pod and take your legs out of the sack). Problem is, you can't add power. I had about twenty feet to go before I realized the mistake. I got one leg out and still managed to pull off a three point landing, ha ha :). It was because I accidentally set down in a narrow gully, so my one leg reached the bottom and the basetube spanned the width about three feet up. You never forget twice, I hope.


75 posted on 05/10/2006 9:35:48 AM PDT by Technocrat
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To: r9etb

"When I was working Shuttle down in Houston, it was always fun when John Young would step in for a little refresher training in rendezvous simulations, because he'd just do things from memory. More often than not, he ended up missing the target by miles and miles, because he did something stupid "from memory." OTOH, it was a lot of fun to be part of trying to save the sim...."

I remember a few of those.

I was there in 16 the night they finally got the launch sim off the pad and still have the pictures of my two kids (7 & 12) sitting in the cockpit upstairs with John and Crip standing (crouching) behind them.


76 posted on 05/10/2006 9:40:35 AM PDT by chaosagent (Remember, no matter how you slice it, forbidden fruit still tastes the sweetest!)
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To: IonImplantGuru
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.

FAA Official: "OK, bubba, remember to lower the gear next time, OK?"

Chastened pilot (with hangdog expression): "OK. Gawd, I feel like a moron."

"Don't be two hard on yourself, I backed out of my driveway this morning with my briefcase and coffee still on the car roof. Happens to all of us."

(FAA official notes "Counseling" in "corrective action" block of form.)

77 posted on 05/10/2006 9:41:30 AM PDT by BeHoldAPaleHorse ( ~()):~)>)
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To: Pukin Dog

Definitions...

Good landing: one you can walk away from...

GREAT landing: one you can walk away from AND use the airplane again...


78 posted on 05/10/2006 9:43:33 AM PDT by BeHoldAPaleHorse ( ~()):~)>)
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To: IonImplantGuru
Old saying
There are two kinds of Pilots
Those that forgot to extend their landing gear and those that will forget it someday
79 posted on 05/10/2006 9:47:30 AM PDT by 1903A3
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To: PBRSTREETGANG

I want one of those!


80 posted on 05/10/2006 10:18:12 AM PDT by monkeyshine
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