Great shot of the Thunderbird F-16 Ejection

Ok, somebody smarter than me tell me why they wouldn't set their altimeter's
to 0 before take off to prevent something like that.
--
Jim Burns III

Remove "nospam" to reply

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:5igQb.131182$I06.1149412@attbi_s01...
Over on "alt.binaries.pictures.aviation" someone has posted a terrific,
high
resolution, nearly head-on shot of the Air Force Thunderbird F-16 ejection
sequence from the crash in Idaho a few months ago. It REALLY shows how
close the pilot came to hitting the deck before ejecting.

It turns out the pilot didn't convert his altitude from MSL to AGL
correctly, and thus started the split-S maneuver some 800 feet too low.

For those interested in the accident report, here it is:
************************************************** ***********

Thunderbird accident report released [Updated]
Wednesday, January 21, 2004 - 09:10 PM

A pilot's error caused a Thunderbirds F-16C to crash shortly after
takeoff during a September airshow at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho.
The pilot ejected just before the aircraft impacted the ground.

On Wednesday, the Air Force Accident Investigation Board held a news
conference at the home of the Thunderbirds - Nellis Air Force Base - to
announce what caused an F-16 to crash last September.

According to the accident investigation board report the pilot,
31-year-old Captain Chris Stricklin, misinterpreted the altitude required
to
complete the "Split S" maneuver. He made his calculation based on an
incorrect mean-sea-level altitude of the airfield. The pilot incorrectly
climbed to 1,670 feet above ground level instead of 2,500 feet before
initiating the pull down to the Split S maneuver.

When he realized something was wrong, the pilot put maximum back
stick
pressure and rolled slightly left to ensure the aircraft would impact away
from the crowd should he have to eject. He ejected when the aircraft was
140
feet above ground - just 0.8 seconds prior to impact. He sustained only
minor injuries from the ejection. There was no other damage to military or
civilian property.

The aircraft, valued at about $20.4 million, was destroyed.

The difference in altitudes at Nellis and Mountain Home may have
contributed to the pilot's error. The airfield at Nellis is at 2,000 feet
whereas the one at Mountain Home is at 3,000 feet. It appears that the
pilot
reverted back to his Nellis habit pattern for s aplit second. Thunderbird
commander Lt. Col. Richard McSpadden said Stricklin had performed the
stunt
around 200 times, at different altitudes during his year as a Thunderbird
pilot.

McSpadden says Stricklin is an exceptional officer. "He is an
extremely talented pilot. He came in here and made an honest mistake,"
says
Lt. Col. McSpadden. But that mistake has cost Stricklin his prestigious
spot
on the Thunderbird team. "He's assigned to Washington D.C.," says
McSpadden.
"He's working in the Pentagon there in one of the agencies."

The maneuver the pilot was trying to complete is called the "Split S
Maneuver." The stunt requires that the pilot climb to 2,500 feet.
Investigators say Stricklin only climbed to 1,670 feet before he went into
the spinning roll.

The board determined other factors substantially contributed to
creating the opportunity for the error including the requirement to
convert
sea level altitude information from the F-16 instruments - to their
altitude
above ground and call out that information to a safety operator below.

But the Air Force has now changed that as a result of the crash.
Thunderbird pilots will now call out the MSL (mean-sea-level) altitudes as
opposed to the AGL (above-ground-level) altitudes.

Thunderbird pilots will now also climb an extra 1000 feet before
performing the Split S Maneuver to prevent another mistake like the one on
Sep.14, 2003 from happening again.

Captain Chris Stricklin has been in the Air Force since 1994 and
flew
with the Thunderbirds since their first season. He has logged a total of
15,000+ flight hours and has received numerous awards. He served as a
flight
examiner, flight instructor and flight commander.

The Thunderbirds will again take to the skies this year. They have
65
air shows scheduled.

The September crash was the second involving a Thunderbirds jet
since
the team began using F-16s in 1983.

Pilot error was blamed for a Feb. 14, 1994, training crash involving
in a maneuver called a spiral descent at the Indian Springs Auxiliary
Airfield, northwest of Las Vegas. The pilot survived, but the maneuver was
discontinued.

The worst crash in Thunderbird history, dubbed the "Diamond Crash,"
came when four pilots crashed Jan. 18, 1982, during training at Indian
Springs. A malfunction in the lead plane was blamed.
************************************************** ***********
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

"Jim" wrote in message
...
Ok, somebody smarter than me tell me why they wouldn't set their
altimeter's
to 0 before take off to prevent something like that.

Because KMUO is at 2996 feet, and Air Force planes' altimeters won't go down
to 26.92? Much the same reason that we don't have the convenience of setting
QFE around an airport, which is routine in flat old England.

-- David Brooks

"Jim" wrote

Ok, somebody smarter than me tell me why they wouldn't set their
altimeter's to 0 before take off to prevent something like that.

I'm with you....that way every show would be exactly the same.

Bob Moore

"Jim" wrote


Ok, somebody smarter than me tell me why they wouldn't set their
altimeter's to 0 before take off to prevent something like that.

Because you can't.

because the MSL altitude of the ground is to high above sea level and it
can't be turned down that far to "zero"..

we have the same problem with flat land sail plane pilots.. if I set my
local altimeter to zero.. which I can't because it's to far to go.. beyond
the adjustment range of the altimeter.. then how do I know I'm high enough
to clear the local mountains.. or if my landing airport is still 2500ft
above the airport I take off from.. I have to do the mental math calculation
to know my AGL altitude.


BT

"Jim" wrote in message
...
Ok, somebody smarter than me tell me why they wouldn't set their
altimeter's
to 0 before take off to prevent something like that.
--
Jim Burns III

Remove "nospam" to reply

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:5igQb.131182$I06.1149412@attbi_s01...
Over on "alt.binaries.pictures.aviation" someone has posted a terrific,
high
resolution, nearly head-on shot of the Air Force Thunderbird F-16
ejection
sequence from the crash in Idaho a few months ago. It REALLY shows how
close the pilot came to hitting the deck before ejecting.

It turns out the pilot didn't convert his altitude from MSL to AGL
correctly, and thus started the split-S maneuver some 800 feet too low.

For those interested in the accident report, here it is:
************************************************** ***********

Thunderbird accident report released [Updated]
Wednesday, January 21, 2004 - 09:10 PM

A pilot's error caused a Thunderbirds F-16C to crash shortly after
takeoff during a September airshow at Mountain Home Air Force Base,
Idaho.
The pilot ejected just before the aircraft impacted the ground.

On Wednesday, the Air Force Accident Investigation Board held a
news
conference at the home of the Thunderbirds - Nellis Air Force Base - to
announce what caused an F-16 to crash last September.

According to the accident investigation board report the pilot,
31-year-old Captain Chris Stricklin, misinterpreted the altitude
required
to
complete the "Split S" maneuver. He made his calculation based on an
incorrect mean-sea-level altitude of the airfield. The pilot incorrectly
climbed to 1,670 feet above ground level instead of 2,500 feet before
initiating the pull down to the Split S maneuver.

When he realized something was wrong, the pilot put maximum back
stick
pressure and rolled slightly left to ensure the aircraft would impact
away
from the crowd should he have to eject. He ejected when the aircraft was
140
feet above ground - just 0.8 seconds prior to impact. He sustained only
minor injuries from the ejection. There was no other damage to military
or
civilian property.

The aircraft, valued at about $20.4 million, was destroyed.

The difference in altitudes at Nellis and Mountain Home may have
contributed to the pilot's error. The airfield at Nellis is at 2,000
feet
whereas the one at Mountain Home is at 3,000 feet. It appears that the
pilot
reverted back to his Nellis habit pattern for s aplit second.
Thunderbird
commander Lt. Col. Richard McSpadden said Stricklin had performed the
stunt
around 200 times, at different altitudes during his year as a
Thunderbird
pilot.

McSpadden says Stricklin is an exceptional officer. "He is an
extremely talented pilot. He came in here and made an honest mistake,"
says
Lt. Col. McSpadden. But that mistake has cost Stricklin his prestigious
spot
on the Thunderbird team. "He's assigned to Washington D.C.," says
McSpadden.
"He's working in the Pentagon there in one of the agencies."

The maneuver the pilot was trying to complete is called the "Split
S
Maneuver." The stunt requires that the pilot climb to 2,500 feet.
Investigators say Stricklin only climbed to 1,670 feet before he went
into
the spinning roll.

The board determined other factors substantially contributed to
creating the opportunity for the error including the requirement to
convert
sea level altitude information from the F-16 instruments - to their
altitude
above ground and call out that information to a safety operator below.

But the Air Force has now changed that as a result of the crash.
Thunderbird pilots will now call out the MSL (mean-sea-level) altitudes
as
opposed to the AGL (above-ground-level) altitudes.

Thunderbird pilots will now also climb an extra 1000 feet before
performing the Split S Maneuver to prevent another mistake like the one
on
Sep.14, 2003 from happening again.

Captain Chris Stricklin has been in the Air Force since 1994 and
flew
with the Thunderbirds since their first season. He has logged a total of
15,000+ flight hours and has received numerous awards. He served as a
flight
examiner, flight instructor and flight commander.

The Thunderbirds will again take to the skies this year. They have
65
air shows scheduled.

The September crash was the second involving a Thunderbirds jet
since
the team began using F-16s in 1983.

Pilot error was blamed for a Feb. 14, 1994, training crash
involving
in a maneuver called a spiral descent at the Indian Springs Auxiliary
Airfield, northwest of Las Vegas. The pilot survived, but the maneuver
was
discontinued.

The worst crash in Thunderbird history, dubbed the "Diamond
Crash,"
came when four pilots crashed Jan. 18, 1982, during training at Indian
Springs. A malfunction in the lead plane was blamed.
************************************************** ***********
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

In article vViQb.58525$zs4.35677@fed1read01,
"BTIZ" wrote:

because the MSL altitude of the ground is to high above sea level and it
can't be turned down that far to "zero"..

we have the same problem with flat land sail plane pilots.. if I set my
local altimeter to zero.. which I can't because it's to far to go.. beyond
the adjustment range of the altimeter.. then how do I know I'm high enough
to clear the local mountains.. or if my landing airport is still 2500ft
above the airport I take off from.. I have to do the mental math calculation
to know my AGL altitude.


He's talking about doing acro over the field...not making a
cross-country.

--
Dale L. Falk

There is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing
as simply messing around with airplanes.

http://home.gci.net/~sncdfalk/flying.html

He's talking about doing acro over the field...not making a
cross-country.

--
Dale L. Falk

regardless.. you still can't turn the altimeter adjustment that far to get
to zero.. and if the local pilots want to fly at zero.. it sets bad habit
patterns for when they do go cross country

BT

"BTIZ" wrote in message
news:FvxQb.59482$zs4.11458@fed1read01...

He's talking about doing acro over the field...not making a
cross-country.

--
Dale L. Falk

regardless.. you still can't turn the altimeter adjustment that far to get
to zero.. and if the local pilots want to fly at zero.. it sets bad habit
patterns for when they do go cross country

Well maybe someone ought to think outside the box (or, in this case - inside
the box). It makes sense to have an adjustable altimeter for aerobatics than
can be zero'ed through at least 10,000 MSL.

"Pilot Bob (I am just a great guy!!)" wrote:

It makes sense to have an adjustable altimeter for aerobatics than
can be zero'ed through at least 10,000 MSL.

And you're going to put this *where* in an F-16?

George Patterson
Great discoveries are not announced with "Eureka!". What's usually said is
"Hummmmm... That's interesting...."

In a previous article, said:
"Pilot Bob (I am just a great guy!!)" wrote:

It makes sense to have an adjustable altimeter for aerobatics than
can be zero'ed through at least 10,000 MSL.

And you're going to put this *where* in an F-16?

On an F-16, it will probably be a software patch. They don't call it the
Electric Jet for nothin.


--
Paul Tomblin http://xcski.com/blogs/pt/
Please say this was followed by a very serious discussion on Right and
Wrong involving a blow torch, 220V, a cobra and three East Germans
named Georg... -- Robert Uhl