http://www.stripes.com/news/us/navy-jet ... s-1.516865
"VIRGINIA BEACH -- Two Navy aviators from the Naval Air Station Oceana-based Strike Fighter Squadron 213 died Wednesday after their F/A-18 Super Hornet crashed off the coast of Florida, Naval Air Force Atlantic spokesman Cmdr. Dave Hecht said.
The fighter jet crashed about a mile off the coast around 4:30 p.m. as it was returning from a training mission, Hecht said. Both crew members ejected and were recovered from the water and taken by ambulance to Lower Keys Medical Center. Hecht did not know if the crew members, a pilot and a weapons systems officer, died at the scene or later.
The Navy said late Wednesday that it is withholding the aviators' identities for 24 hours pending next-of-kin notification.
The jet flew out of Naval Air Station Key West, on Boca Chica Key. A detachment of the squadron, known as the Fighting Blacklions, is in Florida for training".
A witness claims that a "fireball" occurred and the aircraft "fell out of the sky" and appeared to hit the ground "upside down" while on approach. Possible dual engine failure?
Condolences to the crew and their families.
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Re: US Navy F/A-18 Fatal Crash at NAS Key West
Very sad news. My heartfelt condolences as well the the crew's family and friends.
This is so very unusual, losing both crew when they apparently successfully ejected. I am curious as to the cause, why they didn't survive.
Tugg
This is so very unusual, losing both crew when they apparently successfully ejected. I am curious as to the cause, why they didn't survive.
Tugg
Re: US Navy F/A-18 Fatal Crash at NAS Key West
Tugger wrote:Very sad news. My heartfelt condolences as well the the crew's family and friends.
This is so very unusual, losing both crew when they apparently successfully ejected. I am curious as to the cause, why they didn't survive.
Tugg
Maybe the plane was upside down when the crew ejected.
Re: US Navy F/A-18 Fatal Crash at NAS Key West
dfwjim1 wrote:Tugger wrote:Very sad news. My heartfelt condolences as well the the crew's family and friends.
This is so very unusual, losing both crew when they apparently successfully ejected. I am curious as to the cause, why they didn't survive.
Tugg
Maybe the plane was upside down when the crew ejected.
That was the only thing I could think of...
Stuff has to go down hill REALLY FAST to have a crew pass away in an aircraft like this with modern ejection seats in a non-combat environment.
Re: US Navy F/A-18 Fatal Crash at NAS Key West
dfwjim1 wrote:Tugger wrote:Very sad news. My heartfelt condolences as well the the crew's family and friends.
This is so very unusual, losing both crew when they apparently successfully ejected. I am curious as to the cause, why they didn't survive.
Tugg
Maybe the plane was upside down when the crew ejected.
Modern ejection seats can be succesfully used when the airplane is inverted depending on the altitude (140ft).
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- ThePointblank
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Re: US Navy F/A-18 Fatal Crash at NAS Key West
Reading that one eyewitness reported an airborne explosion with the jet:
https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-nav ... tal-crash/
https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-nav ... tal-crash/
One eyewitness, however, who lives along the aircraft’s approach path to the base, told Military.com yesterday that the crash “looked like something out of a movie.”
Barbie Wilson had stopped to watch the F/A-18 flying overhead when she saw what she called a “massive malfunction” in midair.
“The wings went vertical, and there was a fireball, and it just literally dropped out of the sky,” Wilson said in the report.
She didn’t see the aircrew eject, the report said, nor did she see the aircraft hitting the water, but she later observed it laying upside down in the shallows.
Re: US Navy F/A-18 Fatal Crash at NAS Key West
ThePointblank wrote:Reading that one eyewitness reported an airborne explosion with the jet:
https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-nav ... tal-crash/
One eyewitness, however, who lives along the aircraft’s approach path to the base, told Military.com yesterday that the crash “looked like something out of a movie.”
Barbie Wilson had stopped to watch the F/A-18 flying overhead when she saw what she called a “massive malfunction” in midair.
“The wings went vertical, and there was a fireball, and it just literally dropped out of the sky,” Wilson said in the report.
She didn’t see the aircrew eject, the report said, nor did she see the aircraft hitting the water, but she later observed it laying upside down in the shallows.
Wings went vertical? I wonder (and I'm sure everyone else does as well) if the wingbox failed and the fuel ignited, or if an explosion failed the wingbox (compressor disc failure maybe?). It will be very interesting to read the final report. Chances are I'm probably on the wrong path entirely since this is a layperson's eyewitness report. My uneducated guess is either corrosion or a manufacturing defect that went undetected.
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- dragon6172
- Posts: 1181
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Re: US Navy F/A-18 Fatal Crash at NAS Key West
meecrob wrote:ThePointblank wrote:Reading that one eyewitness reported an airborne explosion with the jet:
https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-nav ... tal-crash/
One eyewitness, however, who lives along the aircraft’s approach path to the base, told Military.com yesterday that the crash “looked like something out of a movie.”
Barbie Wilson had stopped to watch the F/A-18 flying overhead when she saw what she called a “massive malfunction” in midair.
“The wings went vertical, and there was a fireball, and it just literally dropped out of the sky,” Wilson said in the report.
She didn’t see the aircrew eject, the report said, nor did she see the aircraft hitting the water, but she later observed it laying upside down in the shallows.
Wings went vertical? I wonder (and I'm sure everyone else does as well) if the wingbox failed and the fuel ignited, or if an explosion failed the wingbox (compressor disc failure maybe?). It will be very interesting to read the final report. Chances are I'm probably on the wrong path entirely since this is a layperson's eyewitness report. My uneducated guess is either corrosion or a manufacturing defect that went undetected.
I believe both engines are behind the wing box and fuel tanks. I'd think unlikely to send parts forward.
Would be interesting to know if it was a normal approach to then or if they had declared an emergency.
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- GalaxyFlyer
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Re: US Navy F/A-18 Fatal Crash at NAS Key West
In Thailand during WW Vietnam, Ubon or Udorn frequently required approach end arrestmrnts in the F-4 at heavy weights. The stress accumulated causing fuselage fuel tanks failures dumping raw JP-4 on the engines with predictable results. A friend was about to turn base when he got a fire light, he orders the ejection as the plane exploded around them. They got out, but just.
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