Forum: F-16 News

Looking at the video … I would have thought a detonated 82 would have made some sort of crater?
Nevertheless … It looks like he brought the live munitions back where they belong … the bomb dump Shocked

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Coincidence?
WHEN IT RAINS IT POURS!

A Canadian CF-18 Hornet aircraft dropped its external fuel tanks and made an emergency landing at Nellis Air Force Base today shortly after taking off from McCarran International Airport, Nellis officials said.
The Hornet was en route to El Centro, Calif., when it declared an in-flight emergency shortly after noon and was directed to land at the base, a Nellis spokesman said.
The Hornet jettisoned its external fuel tanks, which landed on federal property 15 miles north of Nellis and one mile west of Interstate 15. Civilians were on the ground about 600 yards from the fuel tanks’ landing site. None of them was injured. The incident is under investigation.
One of the Hornet’s engines may have failed, leading to the emergency landing, said Nellis spokesman Mike Estrada. It’s safer to land an aircraft without the additional weight of full fuel tanks, he said.

Source: http://www.lvrj.com/news/breaking_news/ ... 13752.html

I wonder why the pilot felt the need to JETT both bombs as well? That's only 1000 lbs of weight. The wing tanks would have been the real necessity to go. It's a helluva lot safer punching only the tanks off anyway. It's good nobody was hurt, though.

vegasdave901 wrote:

Hey, condoms are 99.99% effective and unarmed Mk-82's are 99.99% inert. Shocked

I'm always sorting and seperating my ammo, throwing the rounds into bins, bags and cans. I fully expect one of these days to have a round hit something juuuust right and BANG.

Actually condoms are only effective like, 40% of the time IIRC...

Of course, 60-80% of pregnancies end in miscarriages.

TC wrote:

I wonder why the pilot felt the need to JETT both bombs as well? That's only 1000 lbs of weight. The wing tanks would have been the real necessity to go. It's a helluva lot safer punching only the tanks off anyway. It's good nobody was hurt, though.

Uhh...when you push the EMER jett button everything carted falls off the jet.

Knowing the way things work at Hill and reading the article, it sounds like there was a problem immediately after takeoff. Otherwise you would jett stores over the lake or range complex. Not a good idea to be heads down in the SMS page tyring to SEL jett just the wing tanks when you're losing the engine, etc.

Sounds like the pilot made a timely decision that potentially prevented the unthinkable. Theoretically, the Mk82 should not have detonated in that scenario, but it did.

SHAFT99 wrote:

Uhh...when you push the EMER jett button everything carted falls off the jet.

Yes, you are correct. I might've been out of Vipers for about 7 years now, but some things you don't forget. EMER JETT, everything punches off.

That being said, I wasn't aware of how much time he actually had. That is why I questioned him hitting the JETT switch instead of punching the tanks only.

It's decisions like that, which could lead to a Q-3 for the pilot if he made a procedural error in jettisoning payload. It could lead to much worse for someone on the ground. Again, I'm glad it wasn't a mistake, and I'm also glad no one was hurt.

Guess we'll find out for sure once the investigation is released.

Just for discussion though:
An extra 1k is manageable during normal ops (no big deal really), but during a potential flameout landing you want the jet as light as possible. Yeah...you'll probably have JFS accumulator brakes and the cable, but then again, you might not. Wouldn't be the first time a hook skipped over the cable or the brakes failed. The checklist just says "Stores - Jettison" without making a distinction.

I think the biggest lesson learned to come from this might be why a "safe" bomb went off when jett'ed.

I thought you might like to see the result of the explosion of the one MK82 that was imbedded in the earth in the Munns area, it was blown up this past Saturday, the Roy Gate was closed during the event...nice (two photos of the same explosion) - enjoy.

Both bombs landed within the fences of the bomb dump. The one that detonated took out an HVAC shed for an old ICBM rocket motor storage facility. The facility hasn't been used in who knows how long.

For comparison...

Friday, 7 October 2011:
F-15J.
306th Hikoutai, 6th Koukuudan, JASDF, based at Komatsu AB, Komatsu City, Ishikawa Prefecture.
8:45, after training, during landing, above Yamaguchi Town and Negami Town, both of Noumi City, four km north-northwest of Komatsu AB, dropped one empty drop tank, and two fins from back end of inert training missile.

Pilot claimed, during landing, heard noise, and in back mirror, saw fire behind F-15.

Drop tank below left wing. One of three drop tanks.
Diameter, 80 cm. Length, 6.6 m. Weight, 155 kg.
Explosives in pylon, to jettison drop tank, did not explode.
Fragments found near sewage facility "Ishikawa Prefecture Midorigaoka purification centre".

8:06, took off, with three other F-15.

http://www.mod.go.jp/asdf/pr_report/hou ... 007-1.html
http://www.mod.go.jp/asdf/pr_report/hou ... /1007.html

Official press releases.

http://www.asahi.com/national/update/10 ... 70193.html
http://www.jiji.com/jc/c?g=soc_30&k=2011100700716
http://www.tokyo-np.co.jp/article/natio ... 00185.html
http://mainichi.jp/select/seiji/news/20 ... 6000c.html
http://sankei.jp.msn.com/affairs/news/1 ... 009-n1.htm

Photos.

Forum: F-16 News

Hill AFB F-16 punches off tanks and bombs- on base