F-16 crashes off coast of South Carolina

Guysmiley · by **Guysmiley** » 07 Apr 2006, 20:16

700 knots is like 805 mph. And ouch.

mud_ninja84 · by **mud_ninja84** » 08 Apr 2006, 00:14

Today, our amxs commander confirmed that it was over 700kts.

OUCH is right!

Lieven · by **Lieven** » 08 Apr 2006, 07:57

You will all be happy to know Captain Shultz is doing well and was just fitted in a back brace so that he can sit up now.

One more leg surgery to go!

TenguNoHi · by **TenguNoHi** » 08 Apr 2006, 08:13

Very happy. Thanks for the update Lieven.

-Aaron

mud_ninja84 · by **mud_ninja84** » 08 Apr 2006, 12:37

Great! I hope he recovers 100% soon! If anyone knows him on a personal basis, please let him know that all of the AMUs respect his courage and determination.

vinnie · by **vinnie** » 08 Apr 2006, 12:41

Off topic a bit, but man....is it just me or is 2 hours sound like an awfully long time to be in the water 30 miles offshore in our own ocean with all the SAR assets we have on the east coast?

I think the closest USCG air station would have been Savannah,Ga. Moody has no alert for it's helos at home station that I know of. What other assets are there close? I think they did not want to risk a basket recovery because of his injuries.

LinkF16SimDude · by **LinkF16SimDude** » 08 Apr 2006, 14:18

vinnie wrote:Off topic a bit, but man....is it just me or is 2 hours sound like an awfully long time to be in the water 30 miles offshore in our own ocean with all the SAR assets we have on the east coast?

True. But low, late evening sun angles can make spotting a person in the water very difficult, even with a dye marker. If the sea state was high enough (moderately choppy) it may have dispersed that as to an extent that it was ineffective. And with his injuries it may have been impossible to activate his EPRB (a radio homing beacon, which I think is included in the kit) to give the SAR guys something to home in on. Does anyone know what color the raft is? International Yellow or Orange? That could have helped.

This all speculative of course. The Coasties are the best in the world at this sorta thing so if they say it was a difficult grab, I'm more than happy to defer to them. :thumb:

egresstroop · by **egresstroop** » 08 Apr 2006, 15:05

The coastie helo came from Charleston...

#9 · by #9 » 08 Apr 2006, 21:36

Shaw and I'm sure other bases are hurting right now because of the reshaping. Not a whole lot of CJRs are being given. That might be something to think of. Long hours and less manning.

vinnie · by **vinnie** » 08 Apr 2006, 21:51

Still undermanned and limiting CJR's, Things in the 16 world never change. Are they offering $$ to get out yet?

AfterburnerDecalsScott · by **AfterburnerDecalsScott** » 08 Apr 2006, 22:29

This all speculative of course. The Coasties are the best in the world at this sorta thing so if they say it was a difficult grab, I'm more than happy to defer to them.

Yeah, after better info came out, the CG was on scene in like 40 minutes with a swimmer in the water, and because of his injiuies they waiting for the navy ship. 40 minutes is right in there with what you'd expect that close into shore from Charleston. Wasn't ragging on the coasties, mote the media reports, which are hardly accurate on anything at first.

shiz302 · by **shiz302** » 08 Apr 2006, 22:45

When the aircrew has to eject going so fast, I guess the option of scrubbin off airspeed before you punch out isn't there huh?

vinnie · by **vinnie** » 09 Apr 2006, 00:47

Wonder if he G Loc'd and came to and punched, happened a few times at MacDill, some made it , some didn't. Maybe the airframe started to come apart, he either did not know how fast he was or had to get out quick no matter what the airspeed was.

egresstroop · by **egresstroop** » 09 Apr 2006, 13:59

vinnie wrote:Wonder if he G Loc'd and came to and punched, happened a few times at MacDill, some made it , some didn't. Maybe the airframe started to come apart, he either did not know how fast he was or had to get out quick no matter what the airspeed was.

Thats the most dominant rumor going around the base right now...

AfterburnerDecalsScott · by **AfterburnerDecalsScott** » 10 Apr 2006, 06:52

I got this from the XO of the ship that picked him up directly. Good call by the rescue swimmers. Towards the end, I'm sure they meant hypOthermia, which in this case is not entirely bad, as the cold slows the metabolic functions down and bleeding is not as profuse. You can lose a bunch of blood from just 1 fx leg....2 is a really big deal.

Naval Station Mayport-based frigate USS KLAKRING (FFG 42) rescued a U.S. Air Force pilot from the Atlantic Ocean on Wednesday (April 5th). The pilot, who ejected from his F-16 fighter jet before it smashed into the ocean, was rescued by KLAKRING crewmembers and airlifted to Charleston, SC for further medical assistance.

At approximately 6 o’clock in the evening, KLAKRING received a call over bridge-to-bridge radio from Coast Guard Station Charleston concerning the possibility of a downed pilot. KLAKRING’s bridge and Combat Information Center watch teams reacted quickly, plotting the location of the downed pilot and ordering the ship to full power. Cruising in excess of 29 knots, KLAKRING arrived on scene in less than an hour after being notified.

Upon reaching the probable location of the downed pilot, Commander Randy Lovell ordered all available personnel topside in order to get as many eyes as possible topside looking for the pilot and any possible debris. Soon thereafter, Seaman Leland Powell spotted an orange and grey object in the water off KLAKRING’s bow. LTJG Shane Brewer, KLAKRING’s Officer of the Deck, adjusted course accordingly and guided the ship towards the object while simultaneously deploying the ship’s RHIB. While maneuvering to close the downed pilot’s raft, KLAKRING vectored in the Coast Guard Rescue helicopter who deployed their SAR Swimmer to assess the pilot’s medical condition. The RHIB, led by KLAKRING’s Executive Officer Lieutenant Commander Ed Gettins, found the pilot alive but badly injured. Upon determining that it was not in the best interest of the injured pilot to hoist him into the helicopter, KLAKRING’s SAR Swimmers (IC1(SW) Jeffrey Clayton, SN Joel Wells and GSM3(SW) Thomas Hobbs) deployed into the water to assist securing the pilot into a stretcher for recovery into the ship’s RHIB. Due to the extent of his injuries it was further determined that the pilot should remain in his survival float and the floating stretcher be placed underneath it prior to being taken onboard the RHIB. Coordination was key during this event as the Coast Guard helicopter was required to land on KLAKRING in order to refuel for the return trip ashore and shutdown its engines on deck in order to load the injured pilot. Once onboard the RHIB, the injured pilot told KLAKRING’s Executive Officer that the Coast Guard Helicopter had over flown his position several times and did not see him, “Once I saw you guys coming over the horizon, I knew I’d be found soon enough.”

With the pilot safely onboard KLAKRING, the ship’s medical team then commenced a medical examination of the injured pilot. HM1(SW) Hector Ortiz determined that the pilot had suffered compound fractures to both legs, a simple fracture of his right arm and was suffering from mild-hyperthermia. KLAKRING’s medical response team expeditiously stabilized his wounds and prepared him for the flight to the Medical University of South Carolina. As of this printing, the injured pilot is in stable condition while recovering from his injuries.

USS KLAKRING is currently conducting exercises off the east coast in support of the IWO JIMA Expeditionary Strike Group and will continue operations with the EISENHOWER Carrier Strike Group through the middle of May. KLAKRING will return to Mayport prior to returning to sea and taking part in Fleet Week 2006 in Manhattan and Staten Island, NY.

Source: http://www.klakring.navy.mil/