Pilot Suspended After 3 Dummy Bombs Fall(F-117 Incident)

San Diego Union-Tribune ^ | July 19, 2002 | By Chris Roberts, Associated Press

[TADSLOS]

HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. – The Air Force has grounded a fighter pilot who accidentally dropped three dummy bombs, including one that fell on a house.

The pilot did not know his F-117A stealth fighter was carrying the 25-pound practice bombs as he targeted trash bins and other structures during a training exercise Tuesday, the pilot's wing commander said yesterday.

"This is not the way we do business, and we're very disappointed it happened," Brig. Gen. Marc Rogers said.

The pilot, whose name was not released, dropped the bombs on a home in Monahans, Texas, and near roads in Pecos, Texas, and Maljimar, N.M.

No one was injured.

The pilot was suspended pending an investigation.

"What they did, that was negligence," said Gloria Aker, who was home with her young son and 17-year-old daughter when the practice bomb slammed through her roof, into a bathroom and plowed six feet into the ground. "They could have killed my kids."

Aker initially could not find her son in his bedroom.

"There was smoke," Aker said. "I was screaming and he didn't answer me."

Rogers said training flights are routinely flown around the Southwest using cameras to simulate bombs aimed at targets, sometimes in populated areas.

Rogers said a routine preflight check, performed by pilots and maintenance personnel, includes an inspection of the bomb bay.

But other factors, including a mechanical failure in the plane, may have caused the accident, he said.

Rogers said the Air Force will repair Aker's home.

[TADSLOS]

The pilot did not know his F-117A stealth fighter was carrying the 25-pound practice bombs

Ahem...

[sidegunner]

When I flew there was somthing called a PRE-FLIGHT WALK-AROUND INSPECTION performed by the pilot-in-command. It included looking and shaking everthing that you could access without tools.(If it's gonna' fall off....I hope like hell it falls off now).Somebody blew it...big time.

[Howie]

Imagine this: "I was dry-firing my deer-rifle at a F-117......." Leavenworth here I come!

[cynicom]

Right you are. Must be some enlisted man standing around there someplace to put the blame on. A one man crew is short on others to lay the blame on.

You were 29, 50 or 36s?????

[MickMan51]

Hey folks, let's not rush to judgement here. My understanding is that the dummy bombs were loaded onto the aircraft without the pilot's knowledge. Even a pre-flight probably wouldn't have disclosed them if they were loaded inside behind bombay doors. I don't think that 117's carry exterior bomb loads.

[1rudeboy]

"What they did, that was negligence," said Gloria Aker . . . .

I suspect she did not come up with that word by herself. [smirk]

[cynicom]

Sure changed since my day in Air Force. We surely knew what was on board from visual inspection, it was required. I suppose it is not mandatory if the pilot knows he has hot guns or missiles. Sure has changed.

[TADSLOS]

My understanding is that the dummy bombs were loaded onto the aircraft without the pilot's knowledge

Could be, but the Pilot-in-Command is still responsible for the aircraft and what occurs with it.

[sidegunner]

SEL's(Piper's etc.) My dad drove 29's out of Oki for the 8th AF.

[TADSLOS]

I suspect she did not come up with that word by herself

What, you can't believe that a woman from West Texas could have the sophisticated vocabulary required to include the word "negligence" in it, so a lefty California reporter decided to put words in her mouth? Maybe, but I doubt it. We Texans are a bit more refined than our appearances bear out.

[Mike K]

Hey folks, let's not rush to judgement here.

Why not? Is there any doubt as to who is responsible?

[scooter2]

Hey folks, let's not rush to judgement here. My understanding is that the dummy bombs were loaded onto the aircraft without the pilot's knowledge. Even a pre-flight probably wouldn't have disclosed them if they were loaded inside behind bombay doors. I don't think that 117's carry exterior bomb loads.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but the weapons bay doors are alway left open prior to the pre-flight so the pilot may include this area in his inspection. If the pilot didn't inspect the weapons bay, he blew it big time.

[cynicom]

2...

Maybe he was one of the silkscarf type, kick a tire, smile at the Form 1 and off we go into the wild blue yonder.

[wjcsux]

The big problem w/ F-117's is that all stores are internal. Nothing on pylons because this aircraft doesn't have any.

[Howie]

Would dropping a nuke involve pushing the same button in the cockpit?

[robertpaulsen]

"as he targeted trash bins and other structures"

My first thought was "did he hit was he was aiming for?" If so, maybe that ought to be taken into consideration.

[Salgak]

And more importantly, SOMEBODY had to pull the safety pins in order to allow the bombs to be released in the first place. . . .

[Wm Bach]

What a shame to kill one's own career. It will be interesting to see if he's allowed back into a cockpit
at all. Probably be flying supplies to the Antarctic
in an old silver and orange SAC C-130 for the rest of his
service. A fate worse than death for a fighter jock.

[Wm Bach]

O yeah, and he can't press a "sport" crease the back of his cap anymore.

[TADSLOS]

What a shame to kill one's own career. It will be interesting to see if he's allowed back into a cockpit at all. Probably be flying supplies to the Antarctic in an old silver and orange SAC C-130 for the rest of his service. A fate worse than death for a fighter jock

...something about "flying crates of rubber dog s**t to Hong Kong" comes to mind...;~)