13 Jul 2006, 03:38
Shaw's F-16 (93-542) crash report released
The Shaw Air Force Base pilot who crashed into the Atlantic Ocean in April lost consciousness because of G-forces in the moments prior to the crash, but recovered long enough to eject seconds before the F-16 plunged into the ocean, according to a report issued Tuesday by the accident investigation board.
Physical fatigue, a six-week break from flying and mental stress from beginning a new training program contributed to the loss of consciousness and the crash 80 miles northeast of Charleston on April 5, the report concludes.
Capt. Ted Shultz of the 55th Fighter Squadron had pulled his plane into an aggressive left-turning descent to pursue an instructor pilot playing a defensive role when the instructor pilot realized that Shultz was no longer following him but was accelerating toward the ocean.
"Terminate, terminate, terminate, knock-it-off, knock-it-off, knock-it-off," the instructor pilot, Capt. Craig R. Simmons, transmitted.
Just then, after perhaps 11 seconds of unconsciousness, Shultz awoke, saw the ocean rushing toward him and ejected.
Six seconds later, the plane smashed into the ocean at a nearly-perpendicular angle.
The next thing Shultz remembered was coming to in a life raft and seeing Shaw F-16s flying overhead.
Because there were so many aircraft in the area, he assumed they saw him. Shultz didn't realize that the setting sun, white caps and an emergency locator transmitter that broke during ejection and thus wasn't emitting, at first foiled his fellow pilots in their search for him.
Tuesday, Shaw spokeswoman Senior Airman Susan Penning said Shultz remains on convalescent leave.
When he ejected, the plane was hurtling toward the water at 656 knots, about 6,720 feet above sea level, and as a result of the high-speed ejection he suffered two broken legs, a fracture of the right arm, a fracture dislocation in his right shoulder, cuts above his right eye and a compression fracture in one vertebra, according to the accident report.
Penning said the base doesn't yet know if he will return to flight status.
Lt. Col. Gregory Bingham, president of the accident investigation board, concluded that physical fatigue from flying five high-G sorties in three days, a six-week break from flying and mental stress from starting instructor-pilot training contributed to the loss of consciousness.
Basic fighter maneuver sorties are physically taxing, the report said, because of the muscle-tensing pilots practice to counter G-forces.
Shultz appeared to be ready for the sortie, though, and successfully completed a G-awareness exercise after taking off, which acclimates pilots to G-forces and checks equipment, the report states.
Although the base was in a "surge" week, in which pilots fly more sorties than usual, the tempo of operations wasn't unusual, the report said.
Col. Mike Byrne, 20th Fighter Wing vice commander, agreed.
"The sorties flown were not an unusually high number," Byrne said. "We regularly schedule multiple sorties to expose our pilots to missions identical to those faced in combat. Realistic training is a vital part of our readiness. In spite of the challenges we face, we are proud of our safety record and will continue to strive for an accident-free environment."
By all accounts, Shultz was an above-average pilot with perfect fitness test scores and "outstanding" G-conditioning scores.
He had 557 flight hours in the F-16 and was already qualified as a supervisor of flying, mission commander and functional flight check pilot when his flight commander and operations officer decided to enroll him in the instructor pilot upgrade training.
Col. John Colombo, 20th Operations Group commander, noted that only "highly-qualified and experienced pilots" are chosen as supervisors of flying, and they receive training not just as pilots but in areas including the fire department, weather, explosive ordnance disposal, radar approach control and base operations.
In addition to those existing qualifications, Shultz was beginning his instructor pilot training earlier than most.
"Numerous pilots, both supervisors and peers, stated that [Shultz] was an above-average pilot and was ready to become an Instructor Pilot," the report states.
But before beginning the training, Shultz attended Squadron Officer School, which meant a six-week break from flying.
A break from flying high-G missions can harm a pilot's ability to endure multiple or sustained high-G flights, Air Force guidelines warn.
Shultz flew a "non-demanding mission" upon his return to Shaw "to reorient to aircrew duties."
A few days later, he spent Sunday flying a practice sortie to prepare for the instructor pilot syllabus. He failed the first mission of the syllabus on Monday, though, and had to repeat it Tuesday, when he made similar mistakes during the first sortie of the day.
Shultz and Simmons discussed his performance, and Simmons told him he wasn't coming down aggressively enough to successfully engage the instructor pilot's plane.
Failing to pass the training on Monday added stress to the physical fatigue and probably contributed to his loss of consciousness during the second sortie on April 5, the report states.
"Psychological human factors can negatively affect G-tolerance. [Simmons] stated that [Shultz] was nervous prior to the mishap sortie. ... It is impossible to quantify how the factors specifically interacted to affect [Shultz's] G-tolerance during the mishap sortie. However, evidence clearly indicates these factors played a role in [his G-induced loss of consciousness] and the loss of the aircraft," the report states.
- Released by South Carolina's "The Item"
Also see:
The Shaw Air Force Base pilot who crashed into the Atlantic Ocean in April lost consciousness because of G-forces in the moments prior to the crash, but recovered long enough to eject seconds before the F-16 plunged into the ocean, according to a report issued Tuesday by the accident investigation board.
Physical fatigue, a six-week break from flying and mental stress from beginning a new training program contributed to the loss of consciousness and the crash 80 miles northeast of Charleston on April 5, the report concludes.
Capt. Ted Shultz of the 55th Fighter Squadron had pulled his plane into an aggressive left-turning descent to pursue an instructor pilot playing a defensive role when the instructor pilot realized that Shultz was no longer following him but was accelerating toward the ocean.
"Terminate, terminate, terminate, knock-it-off, knock-it-off, knock-it-off," the instructor pilot, Capt. Craig R. Simmons, transmitted.
Just then, after perhaps 11 seconds of unconsciousness, Shultz awoke, saw the ocean rushing toward him and ejected.
Six seconds later, the plane smashed into the ocean at a nearly-perpendicular angle.
The next thing Shultz remembered was coming to in a life raft and seeing Shaw F-16s flying overhead.
Because there were so many aircraft in the area, he assumed they saw him. Shultz didn't realize that the setting sun, white caps and an emergency locator transmitter that broke during ejection and thus wasn't emitting, at first foiled his fellow pilots in their search for him.
Tuesday, Shaw spokeswoman Senior Airman Susan Penning said Shultz remains on convalescent leave.
When he ejected, the plane was hurtling toward the water at 656 knots, about 6,720 feet above sea level, and as a result of the high-speed ejection he suffered two broken legs, a fracture of the right arm, a fracture dislocation in his right shoulder, cuts above his right eye and a compression fracture in one vertebra, according to the accident report.
Penning said the base doesn't yet know if he will return to flight status.
Lt. Col. Gregory Bingham, president of the accident investigation board, concluded that physical fatigue from flying five high-G sorties in three days, a six-week break from flying and mental stress from starting instructor-pilot training contributed to the loss of consciousness.
Basic fighter maneuver sorties are physically taxing, the report said, because of the muscle-tensing pilots practice to counter G-forces.
Shultz appeared to be ready for the sortie, though, and successfully completed a G-awareness exercise after taking off, which acclimates pilots to G-forces and checks equipment, the report states.
Although the base was in a "surge" week, in which pilots fly more sorties than usual, the tempo of operations wasn't unusual, the report said.
Col. Mike Byrne, 20th Fighter Wing vice commander, agreed.
"The sorties flown were not an unusually high number," Byrne said. "We regularly schedule multiple sorties to expose our pilots to missions identical to those faced in combat. Realistic training is a vital part of our readiness. In spite of the challenges we face, we are proud of our safety record and will continue to strive for an accident-free environment."
By all accounts, Shultz was an above-average pilot with perfect fitness test scores and "outstanding" G-conditioning scores.
He had 557 flight hours in the F-16 and was already qualified as a supervisor of flying, mission commander and functional flight check pilot when his flight commander and operations officer decided to enroll him in the instructor pilot upgrade training.
Col. John Colombo, 20th Operations Group commander, noted that only "highly-qualified and experienced pilots" are chosen as supervisors of flying, and they receive training not just as pilots but in areas including the fire department, weather, explosive ordnance disposal, radar approach control and base operations.
In addition to those existing qualifications, Shultz was beginning his instructor pilot training earlier than most.
"Numerous pilots, both supervisors and peers, stated that [Shultz] was an above-average pilot and was ready to become an Instructor Pilot," the report states.
But before beginning the training, Shultz attended Squadron Officer School, which meant a six-week break from flying.
A break from flying high-G missions can harm a pilot's ability to endure multiple or sustained high-G flights, Air Force guidelines warn.
Shultz flew a "non-demanding mission" upon his return to Shaw "to reorient to aircrew duties."
A few days later, he spent Sunday flying a practice sortie to prepare for the instructor pilot syllabus. He failed the first mission of the syllabus on Monday, though, and had to repeat it Tuesday, when he made similar mistakes during the first sortie of the day.
Shultz and Simmons discussed his performance, and Simmons told him he wasn't coming down aggressively enough to successfully engage the instructor pilot's plane.
Failing to pass the training on Monday added stress to the physical fatigue and probably contributed to his loss of consciousness during the second sortie on April 5, the report states.
"Psychological human factors can negatively affect G-tolerance. [Simmons] stated that [Shultz] was nervous prior to the mishap sortie. ... It is impossible to quantify how the factors specifically interacted to affect [Shultz's] G-tolerance during the mishap sortie. However, evidence clearly indicates these factors played a role in [his G-induced loss of consciousness] and the loss of the aircraft," the report states.
- Released by South Carolina's "The Item"
Also see:
- <a href="news_article1886.html">ACC releases details on Shaw F-16 crash</a>
- <a href="news_article1737.html">Shaw pilot broke legs and wrist after ejecting</a>
- <a href="news_article1734.html">F-16C goes down off South Carolina Coast</a>
00-06 Shaw GE-129
06-07 Kunsan GE-100
07-11 Dyess B1B GE-102
11-12 Kunsan GE-100
12-'' JBMDL CF6-50
06-07 Kunsan GE-100
07-11 Dyess B1B GE-102
11-12 Kunsan GE-100
12-'' JBMDL CF6-50
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