Great shot of the Thunderbird F-16 Ejection

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"

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.

"BTIZ" wrote

regardless.. you still can't turn the altimeter adjustment
that far to get to zero..

BTIZ..or whatever your name is...I found this posted over at
rec.aviation.naval by Dudley Henriques who seems to have a lot
of experience in this field.

Bob Moore

I've been back channeling for two days now with friends who are
ex-Thunderbirds and professional pilots in other professions. Most of us
are
puzzled by the report although not at all puzzled by the results of
Stricklin's mistake!
There's something about this report some of us don't quite get, and it
concerns the zero set on the altimeters. The TB fly a zero set altimeter
for
a show. It's not only basic for low altitude acro work, but it's specified
in the regulations for the Thunderbird mission and procedures. (the old
regulation anyway. haven't seen the revised one yet)
My guys however, were on the T38 team, and the TB regulation for practice
might have been changed since then. However, none of us believe that
Stricklin took off with the altimeter set for the elevation at Mountain
Home, which is 2996 feet ASL. That leaves only one scenario; that the
present Viper team must be using a MSL base at Nellis for practice because
of the mountains at Indian Springs. If this is true, then we still can't
figure out why Stricklin would reverse on the roof of his maneuver with a
target altitude of 1600 feet which is basically what happened. It just
doesn't make sense to us. If the team is using a MSL base at Nellis, and
Stricklin was using that base in his mind when he reversed; the elevation
at
Nellis is 2000 feet. That would have put his reverse at 4500 feet for the
Viper instead of the 1600 plus he used. 1600 is way low for the Viper even
for a zero set altimeter reference It's very puzzling!!!
Also, there's been a lot of talk about not being able to zero altimeters at
some high elevation airports. This is puzzling also. The Kollsman range,
which is also the basic baro range in the Viper's CADC which drives the
Viper's altimeter in both ELECT and PNEU backup, is aprox 22.00 inches on
the low side and 32.00 inches on the high side. (I had to check this out
with some buddies of mine, as I'd forgotten the range in the Kollsman
myself!! :-)
This gives you, even figuring the 1 inch per thousand rule, an elevation
reset capability to a zero reset before takeoff of 10, 000 feet. This
basically allows a zero reset anywhere in the U.S. at least, allowing for a
standard atmosphere. I don't think I'm missing anything here, but I might
have.....getting older you know!! :-) I just can't remember a zero set
being
any problem for me during my tenure as a demonstration pilot.
The Thunderbird's are locked up tighter than a drum right now, and answers
from the present team are not easy to get; so the bottom line so far for us
old timers trying to figure this out is that the team indeed does use a MSL
reference at Nellis because of the mountains, but resets to a zero
altimeter
set before takeoff at the show site. If this is the case, it's
understandable to me how Chris Stricklin could have made the mistake he
did.
I'll tell you up front. I can sympathize with Chris Stricklin, or anyone
else for that matter who has to work low altitude acro this way. If there's
one thing that will kill you doing low work it's non-standardization. If
the
Birds have to use a MSL calculation for their roof target altitudes at
Nellis for a vertical plane maneuver because of the mountains, then revert
to a zero set when doing a show; that in my opinion is bad news! It's only
a
matter of time when things like this catch up to you when doing low work in
high performance airplanes.
Chris Stricklin is a damn good pilot. He's also a damn lucky pilot!
What happened to Stricklin has happened to a lot of very good pilots who do
low work. If all this reporting is true, he was simply bitten by non
standardization! I understand the situation's being looked at closely by
the
Air Force. That's one good thing anyway, although I don't see how they're
going to change anything unless they can take the mountains at Nellis out
of
the Thunderbird equation.
Frankly, the whole damn thing is puzzling to us; us being myself and a few
ex-Thunderbirds. I know I'll probably pick up the straight scoop sooner or
later through my grapevine, but for right now, this report, and putting it
together for a clear picture of what happened to Stricklin is one large
puzzle in progress.
Dudley Henriques