Post by corsair67 on Jan 31, 2007 18:41:16 GMT 12
Thankfully the pilot lived to fly another day.
Hornet was too low, a Navy report says
By Steve Liewer
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
January 30, 2007.
A pilot's mistake caused the crash of an F/A-18C Hornet fighter jet on the deck of the carrier Ronald Reagan a year ago near Australia, according to a Navy investigative report.
The crash occurred as the aircraft tried to land on the Reagan at 11:15 p.m., Jan. 28, 2006. The 33-year-old pilot, whose name the Navy excised from the report, ejected safely into the sea as the burning jet skidded across the flight deck. A helicopter rescued him 17 minutes later.
The pilot didn't recognize quickly enough that he was approaching the carrier too low and too slow for the Hornet's tailhook to catch an arresting cable that would yank the jet to a sudden stop, concluded the unidentified author of the Judge Advocate General Manual report.
The San Diego Union-Tribune obtained a copy of the report under the federal Freedom of Information Act.
The jet's pilot, from Strike Fighter Squadron 25 out of Lemoore Naval Air Station in Central California, had logged 242 hours in the Hornet, including 24 nighttime carrier landings – considered by Naval aviators to be perhaps the most difficult flying skill to master.
He had developed a habit of crossing the approach ramp too low and had flown little since the Reagan left San Diego on its maiden combat deployment Jan. 4, 2006, a factor the investigator said may have contributed to the crash.
But, the report said, the pilot was qualified to fly the F/A-18, was rested and not under the influence of drugs or alcohol. The investigator did not recommend disciplinary action.
A video of the failed landing shows the jet as a fast-growing ball of light zooming toward the ship, clearly too low, according to the artificial horizon visible in the video frame.
“Jesus Christ!” a male voice shouts when the aircraft slams with a fiery explosion into a ramp just short of the carrier's angled runway. The voice yells, “Eject! Eject! Eject!” while the camera pivots to follow the burning Hornet. It slides into the ocean five seconds later.
In July, the Reagan completed a six-month cruise to the Persian Gulf and returned to North Island. Saturday, the carrier left for a mission to the western Pacific Ocean. It is expected to return in late spring.
The Navy's decision to leave the aircraft where it sank in 1,100 feet of water, more than 160 miles east of Australia, stirred controversy among environmentalists in that country.
The report said recovering the Hornet would cost $1 million and delay the Reagan's scheduled arrival in the Middle East. It said the amount of hazardous material, such as fuel, oil and battery acid, wasn't likely to cause environmental harm.
Hornet was too low, a Navy report says
By Steve Liewer
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
January 30, 2007.
A pilot's mistake caused the crash of an F/A-18C Hornet fighter jet on the deck of the carrier Ronald Reagan a year ago near Australia, according to a Navy investigative report.
The crash occurred as the aircraft tried to land on the Reagan at 11:15 p.m., Jan. 28, 2006. The 33-year-old pilot, whose name the Navy excised from the report, ejected safely into the sea as the burning jet skidded across the flight deck. A helicopter rescued him 17 minutes later.
The pilot didn't recognize quickly enough that he was approaching the carrier too low and too slow for the Hornet's tailhook to catch an arresting cable that would yank the jet to a sudden stop, concluded the unidentified author of the Judge Advocate General Manual report.
The San Diego Union-Tribune obtained a copy of the report under the federal Freedom of Information Act.
The jet's pilot, from Strike Fighter Squadron 25 out of Lemoore Naval Air Station in Central California, had logged 242 hours in the Hornet, including 24 nighttime carrier landings – considered by Naval aviators to be perhaps the most difficult flying skill to master.
He had developed a habit of crossing the approach ramp too low and had flown little since the Reagan left San Diego on its maiden combat deployment Jan. 4, 2006, a factor the investigator said may have contributed to the crash.
But, the report said, the pilot was qualified to fly the F/A-18, was rested and not under the influence of drugs or alcohol. The investigator did not recommend disciplinary action.
A video of the failed landing shows the jet as a fast-growing ball of light zooming toward the ship, clearly too low, according to the artificial horizon visible in the video frame.
“Jesus Christ!” a male voice shouts when the aircraft slams with a fiery explosion into a ramp just short of the carrier's angled runway. The voice yells, “Eject! Eject! Eject!” while the camera pivots to follow the burning Hornet. It slides into the ocean five seconds later.
In July, the Reagan completed a six-month cruise to the Persian Gulf and returned to North Island. Saturday, the carrier left for a mission to the western Pacific Ocean. It is expected to return in late spring.
The Navy's decision to leave the aircraft where it sank in 1,100 feet of water, more than 160 miles east of Australia, stirred controversy among environmentalists in that country.
The report said recovering the Hornet would cost $1 million and delay the Reagan's scheduled arrival in the Middle East. It said the amount of hazardous material, such as fuel, oil and battery acid, wasn't likely to cause environmental harm.
