F-18 down in VA

[cpt.creedmoor]

fell into some apartments....They are saying the plane had just taken off when the malfunction happened.

The pilot was dumping fuel as it was going down but most likely still had alot of fuel left on the plane when it crashed...
So far one civilian has been transported to the hospital

http://news.yahoo.com/reports-navy-jet-crashes-va-2-pilots-eject-170537583.html

 

[Mod Adahy]

Re: F-18 down in VA

Hope all make it out ok.

 

[leadbullet]

Re: F-18 down in VA

the crash zone looks pretty bad, hopefully the tenants were at work or the beach when it happened, the pilots are okay though.

 

[Guest]

Re: F-18 down in VA

Photos

 

[WhiskeyWebber]

Re: F-18 down in VA

Was it a bird strike?

The news is reporting injuries but no fatalities so far.

 

[doc76251]

Re: F-18 down in VA

Various eye witness accounts cobbled together paint the pic of a double engine failure shortly after take off. Pilot had time to dump fuel, and stand the bird on it's tail with no engine noise prior to punching out at ~100ft. Looking at the overhead pics there was no "glide" or slide the bird just went straight down into the court yard and flamed 4 surrounding buildings.

One of the drivers supposedly didn't get out of the seat before it hit. They road it all the way in to the last heart beat before bailing. They had big balls for sticking as long as they did, good on them. Just no good place to drop an aluminum fuel tank in that neck of the woods.

Last I heard the only fatality was a cat.

Cheers,

Doc

 

[WhiskeyWebber]

Re: F-18 down in VA

I also just heard a news report that said one of them was a student pilot along with an instructor. Sounds like maybe the instructor flew it in... hard to believe he made it out.

 

[JelloStorm]

Re: F-18 down in VA

Wanted for questioning:

Seriously though, glad both pilots are ok as well as everyone on the ground. The media is already speculating that there are issues with the F-18 Hornet like the uninformed assholes they are.

 

[vwhugger]

Re: F-18 down in VA

Defence budget cuts kicking in already? I heard that claim already by a Navy aircraft mechanic in San Diego.

 

[doc76251]

Re: F-18 down in VA

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: WhiskeyWebber</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I also just heard a news report that said one of them was a student pilot along with an instructor. Sounds like maybe the instructor flew it in... hard to believe he made it out. </div></div>

I was wondering how long it would be be fore the news floozies latched on to the idea that VF-106 was a training squadron. If the IP drove it in, good on him. If the student took it in even better for them. Training effective.

I don't remember jack about these birds but the pic of the burning tail section has me wondering. Why is one nacell "open" and the other "constricted", the little bell in the back of my head is going off and it means something I just don't remember what. I want to say it's similar to a human with one pupil constricted and one blown open = daine bramage

Cheers,

Doc

 

[pdogsbeware]

Re: F-18 down in VA

How much you want to bet that now they'll want to shut down airfields because houses are too close to them for "safety reasons"...even though the houses were built after the airfields...
Or maybe I'm too cynical. Either way, at least no one was hurt.

 

[vxhybrid]

Re: F-18 down in VA

It was crazy there today. many streets were shut down.

I am just waiting for the lawsuits to come in now....

 

[WhiskeyWebber]

Re: F-18 down in VA

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: doc76251</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> Why is one nacell "open" and the other "constricted", the little bell in the back of my head is going off and it means something I just don't remember what. I want to say it's similar to a human with one pupil constricted and one blown open = daine bramage

Cheers,

Doc </div></div>

I'm a pilot but not a professional like these guys obviously were. My take is that they had one engine out and one at full power. That's why I thought bird strike. The good news is we'll find out because they both made it

I'd love to buy that pilot a bottle of whiskey and find out if he aimed it for the courtyard and only ejected when he knew he had accomplished his goal or if he feels like he just got lucky.

I was taught from the very first lesson never to bring anyone into my situation as a pilot...never give up flying the machine until you know it is safe to bail... looks like these guys made the best out of a bad situation.

 

[WhiskeyWebber]

Re: F-18 down in VA

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: pdogsbeware</div><div class="ubbcode-body">How much you want to bet that now they'll want to shut down airfields because houses are too close to them for "safety reasons"...even though the houses were built after the airfields...
Or maybe I'm too cynical. Either way, at least no one was hurt. </div></div>

I dealt with yahoos who were happy about getting a good deal on their house because it was sold to them at the departure end of the local airport. They move in and then start complaining about the noise about six months later...meanwhile the airport only preceded them by a mere 60 yrs!

I remember visiting Yokota AB in the 90's and seeing all of the local citizens with high tech microphones measuring the noise signature of the US jets taking off and saying to them "you do realize these guys are keeping you safe, right?". They pretended they didn't speak english but I think I shamed them into packing up the microphones and leaving... for that day.

Personally, I love the sound of airplanes! and guns!

which is probably why I say the phrase "say again, please" several times a day

 

[mexicanmatch]

Re: F-18 down in VA

Good catch Doc. The Navy and VA beach have been going at it about this kind of accident for decades now. VA Beach keeps wanting to limit hours of operations, type of aircraft and many other things. bottom line is VA beach wants all aircraft off the field in hopes of buying the land and developing it. BRAC they hope will do it for them. I remember when there was hardly any buildings or houses close the the base and through time they just kept getting closer and closer until they are just abt stacked on top of the other. The VA Beach will not give up in this matter. The city sites safety and noise. but on the back burner sits the $ issue. I pray all are well. MM

 

[152]

Re: F-18 down in VA

Reminds me of the book,
The Great Santini,,,Movie too.
Dayum.

 

[Grimm]

Re: F-18 down in VA

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: doc76251</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: WhiskeyWebber</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I also just heard a news report that said one of them was a student pilot along with an instructor. Sounds like maybe the instructor flew it in... hard to believe he made it out. </div></div>

I was wondering how long it would be be fore the news floozies latched on to the idea that VF-106 was a training squadron. If the IP drove it in, good on him. If the student took it in even better for them. Training effective.
</div></div>
I didn't read the OP article but another one that said the pilot wouldn't have had less than 1 1/2 years of flight time and be at Oceana. I'm not sure how true that is but being a FRS the student could have been an EXTREEMLY talented and experienced pilot coming off a non flight assignment or even another IP taking a local area orientation flight for the books. Either way the guy that rode it in has elephant nuts, this could have ended up like the crash at Miramar where the dick "cried out in horror" as his ride killed people when he bailed out after refusing to land at an alt field.

 

[Old Salt]

Re: F-18 down in VA

Mexican Match you hit the head right on the nail perfectly. I was stationed at Oceana from 1969-1973 and there was basically nothing there but the base. That area grew so much over the years that everyone wanted it to go away. There were crashes back then also and if not mistaken an A-6 Intruder crashed close to the base in the 80's on the road and a person was killed. These things happen around military bases and if the public get's too close then sometimes theres just no where else to go and do the best you can. I watched an A-7 crash there during that time frame but he bailed and the plane crashed on base. The training squadron back then was VF 101 and we had F-4's and beginning the transition to F-14's at the end.

 

[Victor N TN]

Re: F-18 down in VA

Thanks for posting this. Some how I seem to have missed it on the news.