EA-18 Growler after pilots ejected
Posted by slapnpopbass@reddit | aviation | View on Reddit | 348 comments
This was taken by Rick Cane, showing the EA-18 without its canopy and crew. It shot up to the sky afterwards and then back down, impacting just a few hundred meters from where I was (and heard the whole thing). The fact it hit the channel and not Naval Base Point Loma (and the marine mammal pens)just 100 meters away nor the houses on Point Loma was sheer luck as it's last 15 seconds or so of flight were completely unguided.
Mr_Lumbergh@reddit
Any word on why they punched out?
G25777K@reddit
Not 100% but to me looked like engine issues.
BigJellyfish1906@reddit
That puppy is climbing… and it ain’t trailing smoke. So this may end up being an accidental/improper ejection.
G25777K@reddit
According to radio traffic at the time of the crash, the two-seat electronic attack aircraft was approaching NAS North Island. After flying over the runway, the crew of the aircraft ejected, and the plane crashed into the water.
BigJellyfish1906@reddit
If it had the ability to climb, then there is no conceivable reason they should have ejected. And based on its speed at impact, it climbed pretty damn high.
w3bar3b3ars@reddit
You have no idea what you're talking about. If aircraft is flying level and suddenly loses the weight of canopy, two pilots, and two ejection seats... the nose will pitch up.
In that weather, with no visibility, an electrical failure could have left them with no nav, attitude, altitude or airspeed indications. It's not smart to fly around San Diego like that, better to punch out with aircraft pointed to sea so no one gets hurt.
BigJellyfish1906@reddit
I was an F-18 pilot. Yes I do.
It will not climb unless the engines are making sufficient thrust. If that’s the case then why eject?
Bruh, we have a goddam picture. They weren’t in the weather when they ejected.
The jet has standby instruments that don’t require anything but battery power. Not a reason to eject at all.
First off, no, like I said. Second, they weren’t pointed at the water at all. That puppy climbed and did a big wing over, and landed near the edge of the water.
Why are you so adamant about this when this clearly isn’t your wheelhouse?
Proof_Ordinary8756@reddit
You very clearly were not a naval aviator based on the basic verbiage you have repeatedly used across multiple comments which is very nonstandard in the fast jet business, as well as your false arguments of “there’s no reason to eject if the engine is producing thrust.”
There are many aircraft malfunctions that can drive an ejection outside of engine failure. I have spent 10 years as a fighter pilot, instructor pilot, and aircraft mishap investigator. It is apparent you are clueless about this topic, as are most of the comments.
Also, you went on a rant in a different thread about auto GCAS. If you actually flew super hornets, or US fighters in general, you would know they do not have auto GCAS.
BigJellyfish1906@reddit
Oh really? Like what? This’ll be good…
The jet is climbing, there is no smoke trialing out of the back of the airplane, and they’re VMC. Do tell, hypothesize why you’d eject in that situation.
Then name one. Specifically one that’s plausible based on what we know about this jet right here. They’re configured to land, they’re VMC, they’re at the airfield, they aren’t on fire, and their engines are making plenty of thrust. Let’s hear it.
A rant? All I did was literally ask for a source saying auto GCAS stays active post-ejection.
I don’t buy it.
Proof_Ordinary8756@reddit
The reason you’re so defensive is because you know it’s a lie. Honestly the most blatant tell was the auto GCAS discussion you had on the other thread. You would have just straight up replied the super hornet does not have auto GCAS if you knew anything besides basic Wikipedia knowledge of the aircraft.
You also don’t know if they are on fire, you don’t know if they have a hydraulic or flight control malfunction, you don’t know if both main landing gear are down and locked correctly, experiencing a fly by wire fault, the list goes on. All of those can easily drive ejection, some more quickly than others. Good luck trying to convince random internet strangers you are a fighter pilot to make yourself feel good.
BigJellyfish1906@reddit
Defensive? That’s not defensive. That’s just calling you on your bullshit.
Go read it again, Copernicus. We’re talking about the F-35.
We weren’t talking about the super hornet. We were talking about an F-35 mishap.
I know they aren’t on fire enough to eject right there. Jet making enough thrust to easily climb and you have fire indications? It’s not time to eject.
Now youre really grasping at anything. Pitiful. Even still, unsafe gear indications does not lead to an ejection.
Does not lead to ejection. There is no “fly by wire” fault in the F-18 that makes the pilot lose all control.
What do you fly (in DCS)?
Proof_Ordinary8756@reddit
Another tell you aren’t really a competent aviator. Yes, if one main gear is not down and locked it is not a landable configuration. You would have to land all gear up or eject. You would have learned that in the T-6. Main gear failure/damage has driven many ejections. In fact, it’s what drove the most recent ejection occurred at Shaw AFB.
Again, fire doesn’t mean the engine. The engine is the least concerning place to have a fire in an aircraft, and a burning engine doesn’t necessarily mean smoke. Ironically my first engine fire was during a trip to NASNI for a COMPTUEX, and there was no smoke, only a seized engine after shutting it down.
Yes, the super hornet can face fly by wire faults that render the aircraft incapable of flight. So can all aircraft without mechanical connections to the flight controls. Fly by wire faults/bad data to the system have resulted in many recent high profile crashes to include the B-2 and multiple F-35 mishaps.
You are incredibly ignorant of the subject which is why you revert to being aggressive with no substance to your arguments.
NTXRockr@reddit
Incorrect. F-18EFG PCL says exactly what BJF said, only that example would be an ejection situation. Even with just the nose gear down or just the mains you’d take a trap, which for Navy aircraft is the answer the vast majority of the time. The T-6, even Navy ones, don’t have a nice big arresting hook to take the trap, so it’s a moot point. A Growler or Rhino does, and that’s where many emergency situations will lead you to.
Where else are you going to have a fire? BALD will set off the DBFS for the cavity between the engines, and you have the fire bottle for the engines and for the APU. Anything else is a “wait and see”, and even engine fires are an “assess and see” after completing the boldface and rest of the EP. There’s a reason they are changing the emergency procedures away from boldface and going to “immediate action items” done from memory and “quick reaction items” as referenced from a kneeboard card now, as too many were shutting down the wrong engine during fires or HYD HOT situations. Engine fire is no longer an immediate action item/boldface, so again proving your point incorrect about necessitating ejection.
The FCS in the Rhino and Growler is pretty redundant. Other than the extremely rare 4-channel AOA failure, most issues will allow FCS resets and switching valves to isolate the issue to allow you to fly it back to land or at least take a trap. Even with extreme failures, there are steps we can take to minimize problems with the FCS. If the jet is absolutely uncontrollable, you’ll know it pretty quick and will likely have the ejection choice made for you - other than it going OCF and falling like a leaf, or the jet completely not responding to control stick inputs, you’re going to stick with it instead of ejecting.
Proof_Ordinary8756@reddit
I never said all unsafe gear is an ejection situation, I said there are scenarios which are. Hooks can’t save you in every EP. I also never claimed to fly the super hornet, or be in the Navy. My exposure to flying with the Navy is a stint at Whiting followed by joint exercises. I am AF with experience in the A-10, T-38 IP, and F-35 FTU IP. I have also investigated multiple class B-E mishaps and a few As that involved “basically impossible” failures. At the end of the day modern airplanes and military aviation are all the very similar, we just use different acronyms.
Any various set of electronics, fuel line ruptures, leaks, etc can create a fire within the aircraft, and fire bottles are 95% solution, not 100. I’m not claiming any of these issues are what this crew experienced. Obviously all of these scenarios are extremely rare, yet they all have and can occur. There’s a reason we wait for the investigation to occur and don’t spout BS theories, especially in a public forum.
What I am saying is the that the OP I’m responding to is incorrect in claiming the only reason to eject is if both engines fail, and really makes himself look like a jackass to professional pilots.
NTXRockr@reddit
His point was you don’t eject with a fire only. In fact, it’s not even boldface anymore, now it’s a “quick reaction item” that uses a card on your kneeboard to refer to the next steps. This was recently implemented due to too many aviators shutting down the wrong engine or ejecting out of flyable aircraft.
Proof_Ordinary8756@reddit
No one ever made that claim, he’s arguing with himself. This conversation all started from him claiming there is no conceivable reason to eject from an aircraft with operable engines, which we know is false, and claiming the aircrew screwed up. It had nothing to do with fire, he just keeps bringing that up.
I personally know 7 people who have ejected during their career from various aircraft, only 1 was related to dual engine failure. He’s an arrogant jackass that clearly doesn’t have the characteristics of a professional pilot.
Spark_Ignition_6@reddit
Well said.
Spark_Ignition_6@reddit
T-6 will land with just nose gear or just mains.
NTXRockr@reddit
Not exactly. We get to use the hook to ensure the aircraft stops in a relatively short distance and mostly controlled. Landing in an abnormal gear configuration without arresting gear means it’s likely to flip or veer off the runway.
8CYLINDERS117@reddit
Wouldn't you at least want to exchange all of your airspeed before ejecting? My background isn't fighters although I've flown the Viper a number of times through unique job opportunities and that was part of bailout process, zoom climb until you're going to develop a sink rate if nothing else to get you closer / above the 2k controlled bailout altitude. Not sure if navy uses the same altitudes tho (2 & 6k agl)
Proof_Ordinary8756@reddit
You would climb if you are low altitude and have the energy, time, and ability to control the aircraft. There is an ideal airspeed envelope for the ejection seat so I do not teach students to lose all their airspeed, that is just your cue it’s time to stop flying the jet and get out. It’s all time and control dependent. One of my buddies hit a hawk at around 500ft/420kcas and lost both hydro system. There’s nothing you can do when something like that occurs. The fact that they were still configured leads me to believe it was time critical/uncontrollable.
The single engine mentality is a bit different than multi engine aircraft. Single engine mentality your initial action is always getting on profile to high/low key for any engine malfunction.
BigJellyfish1906@reddit
You’re supposedly an instructor, but you didn’t know that F-18s take a trap or belly-land in all but one unsafe landing gear scenario? I’ll give you one more chance. What’s the one gear failure configuration where the PCL says to consider ejection? (I’ll give you a hint, it’s not one we’re seeing in this photo)
NTXRockr@reddit
Sounds like he’s a Viper guy or another AF platform. There’s a reason we think and train differently when referencing the -1 vs NATOPS.
BigJellyfish1906@reddit
F-16s have tail hooks too. I would not expect the F-16 manual says to eject with unsafe gear indications (short of that one doomsday scenario). I’m not confident we’re not talking to a DCS clown.
NTXRockr@reddit
I think he’s just an Air Force guy used to flying their way
mimanera@reddit
This guy knows his way around a NATOPS manual.
BigJellyfish1906@reddit
You are a total clown. If a gear isn’t down and locked in the F-18 (or any fighter to my knowledge) you take a field trap*. You absolutely do not eject for a landing gear problem. This is comedy at this point…
Give me one actual example.
For all intents and purposes, yes it does. If your argument has devolved into “it hasn’t actually ever happened but I can hypothesize how it could happen,” then you’re done. Hit the showers, maverick.
If it’s making plenty of thrust and not smoking, I’m not ejecting. That is not the time to eject.
And you ejected?
What page in the PCL is that? I’ll look it up.
Neat. Not for the F-18. Not once.
I’m not being aggressive. I’m just pushing back on your nuclear butthurt. Hey why’d you ninja smoke from this thread?
Spark_Ignition_6@reddit
I wasn't sure if you were bullshitting or not, but now I know you are.
BigJellyfish1906@reddit
None of those are false. Explain exactly what I’m getting wrong.
I’m not an F-18 pilot anymore. I’m an airline pilot. If you know, then you know.
Spark_Ignition_6@reddit
Fire indications that won't go away absolutely can drive an ejection in a time sensitive manner that may not permit zoom to eject.
This is something even T-6 UPT students know is wrong. There are absolutely certain gear failures that will force an ejection.
"Fly by wire fault" would be a way to describe it to laypeople. Yes, there are ways you can lose all control and be force to eject immediately in a fighter aircraft.
BigJellyfish1906@reddit
No, see now you’re changing it. I never said “a fire indication that won’t go away will never drive an ejection.” I said at this point, with no visible smoke and engines producing plenty of thrust, it is not time to eject.” I never said it couldn’t lead to an ejection at some point. But THEY were not at that point. If your engines are producing thrust and there’s no visible smoke, you keep flying and try to get it on the ground. You certainly think about ejecting if the situation quickly deteriorates, but you certainly don’t eject yet.
With no visible smoke coming anywhere out of the airplane? With engines making that much thrust? No.
Well the T-6 doesn’t have a tailhook so that UPT student’s skillset isn’t applicable at all here. I did you a favor and dusted off the ol’ Rhino PCL, and it says the ONLY time you’ll eject with a gear malfunction is if only one main gear comes down AND it cannot be raised. Otherwise it says to either take a trap or do a belly landing. We can see right here that all 3 gear are down. Even if none of them are locked, the PCL says to take a trap, NOT eject.
Explain. Prove you actually know what you’re talking about. Because I know the only answer to that question is more of a professional development exercise than it is something that can actually happen. (Which is why it’s literally never happened in the super hornet).
Since you know enough about this jet to know I’m not who I say I am, tell me, what engine mounted accessory provides power to the flight controls? I’ll give you a hint, it’s not the AC generators. All F-18 pilots know this. Do you?
Neither am I.
Spark_Ignition_6@reddit
No, it depends. There are jets with boldface to simply eject if a confirmed fire won't go away. You got me on "indication" though. I should have included the word "confirmed." Obviously you don't eject for a fire light by itself, you confirm it with other indications. Visible smoke coming from the aircraft is only one of many possible indications - you're unreasonably focused on that.
Tailhooks are irrelevant and don't make an unlandable gear configuration landable.
Which you just agreed with, so not sure why you're arguing the point...
Stupid argument. All items in the emergency checklists were once the first time they'd ever happened.
No.
BigJellyfish1906@reddit
Yes, as I said, it depends. It depends on if the engines are making sufficient thrust and if the fire is un-contained. I highly doubt that plane is burning itself from the inside out AND has plenty of thrust to climb the way it did.
Even if I used the fire bottle on one engine, and then the other fire light goes off, I’m not ejecting until my last engine loses thrust, or there are visible flames. Why go early? The jet is a charred hulk the instant I pull the yellow handle anyway.
Haha WHAT? Wanna try that again? That right there shows you have no clue what you’re talking about. The F-18 PCL calls for either an arrest landing or a belly-up landing for all except one failure mode. That failure is if only one main comes down AND you can’t put it back up. That is literally the only time it tells you to eject. Field traps are wonderful solutions for landing gear problems. You just outed yourself there…
Not malfunctions. Malfunction (singular). And it isn’t the one we’re seeing on this picture. Ergo you can’t point to a landing gear problem as a reason for them to eject. Where’d I lose you?
Why didn’t you answer my question. Tell me exactly what has to happen for a plane to lose all control. Name the systems. Prove you know what you’re talking about. Because once you do that, then I will demonstrate how that kind of catastrophic failure is flat-out impossible (which is why it’s NEVER happened).
🎶🎵because 🎶you 🎵CAAANT
So don’t question people who know what they’re talking about.
Spark_Ignition_6@reddit
"Highly doubt" = you think it's possible but are blasting speculative blame for an incident all over the internet, anyway. Classy.
I think you just outed yourself (again) as failing to read. I didn't say the F-18 won't use the tailhook. I said the hook doesn't somehow mean that there are no unlandable configurations in the F-18 and thus the hook is irrelevant to the fact that there are unlandable gear configurations that you will eject for. Which was, you know, what we were talking about, and something you've repeatedly agreed with, and yet you still think you're arguing with me over the gear. Just read the comments before hitting the keyboard.
You can't actually determine that from this picture. Which any professional pilot would know. But the issue was brought up because you said, straight-up, you won't eject for unsafe gear. You've repeatedly agreed with me that you were wrong about that and yet keep acting like we disagree on it. I don't think you actually know what's going on.
Another thing no professional pilot would ever say.
I'm not.
BigJellyfish1906@reddit
No. When I say "highly doubt," what I mean is "In my professional opinion, there is absolutely no way."
When you have to resort to pedantry like this, you just need to walk away. We are talking about THIS MISHAP. So you trying to grasp at straws does not justify your point. You don't even know what your point is anymore. You're just a pathological contrarian.
Are you blind? Yes I can determine based on this picture that more than one main landing gear has come down. They've all three come down. Even if all three of them are unlocked, the PCL still calls for an arrested landing, NOT an ejection.
That's not what I said. I said the statement "Unsafe gear means you're ejecting" is totally wrong. I can point out how wrong that is, at the same time it is true that there is one highly specific failure mode (that isn't relevant in this mishap) that calls for an ejection. If you're still lost, to keep it simple, I was pushing back on the implication that unsafe gear indications is some kind of automatic ejection, which is the context with which it was originally presented.
That's nonsense. That's like saying "What if you lose the Blue, Green, and Yellow hyd pumps at the same time, AND the RAT doesn't work?" Is that technically a mechanical possibility? Yes. Is that so unrealistic given the multiple redundancies that it isn't worth one second of thought discuss? Also yes.
Yes, there are emergency that are absolutely realistically impossible. Any professional pilot knows that there are compound problems that are far too unlikely to give any thought to.
You still haven't demonstrated basic knowledge of the Super Hornet, because you don't know anything about it. Yet you feel confident enough to tell me that I'm wrong for saying there is no conceivable reason to eject based off of what we see in this photo.
So I'll give you the answer to that question you're avoiding. There are only two ways to lose all flight controls and neither of them has ever happened in 25 years and millions of flight hours. It would take either a quad-circuit hyd failure or a quad-channel FCC failure. Both of those systems are more than redundant enough that it is statistically and practically impossible that they happen.
So much so, that if in F-18 ground school you ask an instructor about what to do in those situations, they'll tell you "that's never going to happen. Don't worry about it. Any other questions?"
NTXRockr@reddit
He doesn’t know the answers. As a Growler guy, completely agree with your points. Fire indication without any other FEVER would not necessitate an immediate ejection, but going through the boldface and remaining EP. Loss of flight controls? Unless it’s a 4-channel AOA failure (basically damn near impossible to occur), the FCS is redundant enough to get it on deck or at least trap. Don’t let them ragebait you too much BJF!
w3bar3b3ars@reddit
Buddy... all things the same, if thrust is sufficient for level flight at a given weight, remove weight and it now has thrust to climb. Battery power? Wing over? Standbys don't fail?
If you are a pilot, you are the least articulate by an absolutely raging margin.
BigJellyfish1906@reddit
That’s ironic since your comment is completely unintelligible.
So this is the day they lost all electrical power AND the standby failed? Double whammy of rotten luck that’s literally never happened before in either the hornet or the super hornet? See when you have to reach like this, you’re gonna pull a muscle.
It doesn’t matter anyway. Theyre VMC in the picture. The weather was fine and they could literally see the airfield.
oSuJeff97@reddit
Peak Reddit is some rando arguing with an F-18 pilot about what may have happened in an F-18 incident, lol.
binkerfluid@reddit
tagging him in res as "former f-18 pilot" so I dont in the future lol
nks12345@reddit
Ejections can push the nose of the plane down causing it to gain speed and thus lift. There have been stories of planes that flew for many many miles before crashing. Happened to an F-35 a few years ago and it happened in the mid 20th century as well.
BigJellyfish1906@reddit
Not really. The more notable change is actually the loss of weight in the front of the plane, making the plane more tail heavy, and raising the nose.
I know of two. In one, the plane was in auto pilot, so it was gonna stay level no matter what. In the other, it was the sudden tail-heaviness like I said, that made it climb.
ProfessionalRub3294@reddit
Have you heard of the Cornfield bomber?
CarobAffectionate582@reddit
Apparently he has not, or he would have facts in his keyboard emissions.
nameistaken-2@reddit
Tbf the F-35 was kept aloft by an automated system. (Auto GCAS)
BigJellyfish1906@reddit
I wouldn’t expect auto GCAS to stay active after an ejection.
nks12345@reddit
Neither did Lockheed Martin...
BigJellyfish1906@reddit
Do you have a source that says auto GCAS stayed active post ejection?
skydivingkittens@reddit
From what I heard that was fixed after that incident. A GCAS is no longer active after ejecting
BigJellyfish1906@reddit
That’s an immense oversight…
Proof_Ordinary8756@reddit
If you actually flew super hornets like you have repeatedly claimed, you wouldn’t be entertaining this comment because you would know there is no auto GCAS in the Growler.
BigJellyfish1906@reddit
When did I claim super hornets have auto GCAS? Quote me.
Are you illiterate? Literally one comment above that, we’re talking about the F-35…
nks12345@reddit
I don't but the fact that they lost it after ejection and it kept flying it wouldn't shock me.
BigJellyfish1906@reddit
Auto GCAS is not the only way for a plane to keep flying post election. That’s also not really how auto GCAS works.
Tchukachinchina@reddit
As a former ejection seat guy I can tell you that it’s best into these guys heads pretty hard that ejecting is the LAST thing you want to do. It looks like the aircraft still had power so I’m betting on some kind of loss of flight controls.
mickswisher@reddit
It's a Boeing F-18 now so I consider anything on the table.
Tchukachinchina@reddit
Back in my harrier days (early-mid 00’s) we had Boeing tech reps who would help us out every now and then despite having nothing to do with our birds. It was kind of a slap in the face and also #goals because they made so much more money than we did and had way less responsibility for the aircraft.
mickswisher@reddit
Totally unrelated, but Harriers are such appealing planes.
BigJellyfish1906@reddit
As a former F-18 pilot, I can tell you that there’s no conceivable reason to eject from an airplane that has the ability to climb. A quadruple hyd failure is straight-up impossible. And at the very least the PCL calls for the pilot to put the throttles at idle before ejecting, to prevent precisely this kind of high-speed impact.
chrisso123@reddit
What's a PCL? All I could find was Pilot Controlled LIghting.
BigJellyfish1906@reddit
Pocket checklist. It’s the navy version of a QRH.
Find_A_Reason@reddit
The helo guys are all wondering where the pitch control links are on an F18.
9999AWC@reddit
Damn. And here I am training for the Harvard (T-6A) where I've rewired my brain to call the throttle the PCL (Power Control Lever). So I was very confused reading the replies 😅
BigJellyfish1906@reddit
Navy T-6’s have two PCLs in the cockpit.
9999AWC@reddit
Don't all T-6s? One for each occupant.
BigJellyfish1906@reddit
It was a lame joke… but not always, not if you’re solo.
9999AWC@reddit
My bad 😅 I'm running on 4h of sleep
rustyskies@reddit
Pocket Checklist
Tchukachinchina@reddit
You would definitely know better than I would. Any chance of something getting jammed under the stick or something like that? We heard a lot about that during FOD training.
Then again I don’t know a damn thing about the F-18. I worked on harriers 20 years ago.
BigJellyfish1906@reddit
And climbing away? Then why eject? Spend the ride uphill trying to unjam the controls. I’ve read a lot of mishap reports. It’s always the simple explanation. And the simple explanation is often a royal fuck up.
aphel_ion@reddit
the royal fuck up in this case being accidental ejection?
I don't know anything about planes, but every ejection I can remember seeing the plane is heading down and it's an absolute last resort. This one is weird
BigJellyfish1906@reddit
Amongst other things. There is no conceivable reason for that jet, which appears to be climbing and not trailing any sort of smoke, to be too dangerous to stay in.
And again, we always know of at least one fuck up by them not putting the throttles at idle before getting out.
G25777K@reddit
Good info..
dudeman1018@reddit
How do you know it's climbing?
BigJellyfish1906@reddit
Because you can see how the wing-tip vortices are going down off to the right. The wingtip vortices literally follow the airplane’s flight path.
The presence of those vortices in this picture also shows that the airplane is at a normal angle of attack, as they wouldn’t be present at all if it was stalling.
Eye witness accounts said it went up for a while before it stalled and winged over.
This high-speed impact would not be possible if it stalled from this picture here and went into the water.
Is that sufficient?
ThankYouMrUppercut@reddit
Chip light probably
BigJellyfish1906@reddit
You don’t eject because of a chip light.
ThankYouMrUppercut@reddit
Two engine. Good point. We were advised to punch from the T-6 if we were low alt/energy and got a chip light. But that was a single turboprop and also way way back in 2004. So apples and oranges. I’ll defer to you here.
BigJellyfish1906@reddit
You didn’t do a PEL with a chip light? Why not wait for an actual fire if you’re going to destroy the airplane anyway?
ThankYouMrUppercut@reddit
I was saying like immediately after takeoff. Can’t get back to low key let alone the runway. I assumed (probably incorrectly) that this F-18 was just off the end of the runway at Coronado based on this photo. Looks low and climbing. But I don’t have enough info here to actually know where this aircraft was at the time of ejection.
And a chip light in a T-6 was pretty severe/instantaneous loss of all thrust. I’m guessing it’s not as serious in the F-18 or maybe that you’re getting some useful thrust before the engine finally seizes.
BigJellyfish1906@reddit
Yeah, rag that bitch out until it fails. It may get surprisingly far without failing.
Why not? A chip light doesn’t mean loss of thrust. It means impending fire. But an impending fire is not a fire.
No it wasn’t. I also flew the t-6. A chip light just meant the chip detector sensed too much metal that wasn’t getting burned away. It doesn’t mean for a loss of thrust until those chips start a fire.
Also, two engines. This is why I can’t stand it when people say the F-16 is superior to the F-18 “because one engine is safer than two.”
ThankYouMrUppercut@reddit
My brother in thrust, you are way overanalyzing an offhand comment I made speculating on why someone might eject from that aircraft. And whoever said one engine is safer than two? I mentioned two engines in my previous comment. Let's all just take a small little nap and regroup when there's something to discuss that matters.
BigJellyfish1906@reddit
Not you. Redditors on aviation subs.
ThankYouMrUppercut@reddit
Then why bring it up? It's apropos of nothing I said.
OK, bunk time.
BigJellyfish1906@reddit
Because you hi-lighted a commonly contested trope on this sub.
ThankYouMrUppercut@reddit
Get fucked, squid. Go back to your airline job getting fat off airport food.
NxPat@reddit
Someone’s gotta fly the rubber dog shite into Hong Kong, might as well be these guys.
TheRealtcSpears@reddit
They best keep an eye on their butts, I hear there's a guy out there that wants some
Red_Pretense_1989@reddit
They're gonna be flying rubber dogshit out of Hong Kong.
Freedom_7@reddit
Poor guys must’ve got too excited and suffered from pre-mature ejecuation
TheRealtcSpears@reddit
Rocking those MiG-23 Thunder Over Michigan vibes
NoGiCollarChoke@reddit
Happens to the best of us
TimeSpacePilot@reddit
Why does it seem like an engine issue to you? Nothing in that photo indicates any issue other than there are no pilots and no canopy.
Mr_Lumbergh@reddit
Oof. Lost both?
White_Lobster@reddit
Desk pop.
musicmunky@reddit
That's a real thing, right?!
StanFitch@reddit
They were so convincing in their argument!!!
Relative_Ad9010@reddit
September, 08’
Smart_Dumb@reddit
THEY WERE SO CONVINCING IN THEIR ARGUMENT!
DeedsF1@reddit
I chuckled.
DougMasters237@reddit
Does anyone know where the USS Gettysburg is?
jerkinvan@reddit
“Wonder what happens if I pull this lever?”
TheRealtcSpears@reddit
Felt like it
Aron723@reddit
It was 5 o’clock and time to go home
thewickedbarnacle@reddit
See yah
Tanto63@reddit
Maintenance delays made them hit crew rest limits.
BentGadget@reddit
Zulu time they were an hour into overtime.
Expensive-War-743@reddit
Picture of the only true ghost rider
Pooch76@reddit
‘Peace’
boilerdam@reddit
This is the right answer
TheRealtcSpears@reddit
"feeling cute, might eject soon"
monkey_farmer_@reddit
Feeling *chute
SchroedingersFap@reddit
Pfffffffft
ChipsAhLoy@reddit
I mean you’re not wrong
tailwheel307@reddit
When you realize after rotation that you’re not current to fly the aircraft the correct course of action is to discontinue the unauthorized operation. Ejection accomplishes that goal quite efficiently.
QuevedoDeMalVino@reddit
“The order of priority wasn’t clear to me, sir”
broberds@reddit
Ashtrays were full.
Mr_Lumbergh@reddit
Sir, this is a non-smoking flight.
thx1138a@reddit
Not with that attitude.
OptimusSublime@reddit
A woman they met a bar has texted then and said they were a few inches too tall to fuck her
Mr_Lumbergh@reddit
This has happened approximately zero times if the “what’s attractive” threads are to be believed.
Mysterious_Silver_27@reddit
Maybe they wanted some good 69 which would have very strict goldilocks height requirements
W00DERS0N60@reddit
Nah, you want to be taller given the angle turn you need to make to get to the end zone.
Mysterious_Silver_27@reddit
But not too tall
Mr_Lumbergh@reddit
Taller woman is the answer.
ReadyplayerParzival1@reddit
I thought the injection seat is supposed to fix that
WarDull8208@reddit
Their working shift was over
wawoodwa@reddit
One of the occupants really wanted that tie and pin before leaving the service.
Pooch76@reddit
TIL they get keepsakes.
FlyNSubaruWRX@reddit
Spider in the cockpit
Pooch76@reddit
They had just returned from Australia. Fucker waited till they were 99% home.
Hyperious3@reddit
Understandable tbh
sharkbite217@reddit
Dude, it was only like 3 hours ago
Mr_Lumbergh@reddit
Um, ok? They’ve been recovered and I presume still able to speak.
sharkbite217@reddit
Yup. First thing after they were pulled out of the water they grabbed their phones and started posting updates on Twitter as per Navy regs
Dude_Tost_1673@reddit
Stop holding out on us, man! What do the tweets say?!
fighterpilot248@reddit
TheRealtcSpears@reddit
Can't, they ejected. But their lips remained onboard
27Rench27@reddit
RIP lips
TacitlyDaft@reddit
And?
pl0nk@reddit
The call of the void
hasta_la_pasta@reddit
Cuz they would have died otherwise
jarhead06413@reddit
Got jealous of the 35 pilot getting his MB Tie and Watch last week
25thSouthParallel@reddit
I've always wondered what becomes of the cut-off part of the tie. Surely someone keeps it on a hall of fame board or something?
(Also, I was lucky enough to sit on a MB once, and they're way more comfy than I'd have thought)
TapSea2469@reddit
It was a cockpit pop, when was the last time you did a cockpit pop.
regtf@reddit
Vibes
Dude_Tost_1673@reddit
All the answers I see are shitposts... so, here's mine; "I was just trying to adjust my seat and it went off. I swear this never happens to me."
noah_dobson@reddit
Vibes were off.
Anonymous_Hazard@reddit
Understandable. Have a nice day.
Dude_Tost_1673@reddit
Fuck it. We bail.
spurto@reddit
Maintain aircraft control, analyze the situation, and make the appropriate decision…ain’t nobody got time for that, SEE YA!
jumpy_finale@reddit
They wanted a new tie and a goldfish badge
UntLick@reddit
Last day just drilling holes.
PoorFilmSchoolAlumn@reddit
The sea called
UncleSugarShitposter@reddit
They needed their semiannual ejection bean
Mysterious_Silver_27@reddit
Nature calls
JoeyT_230615@reddit
All of US military craft is out of service due to wokeness
AlexisFR@reddit
So they did not even need to eject?
RellyOhBoy@reddit
Nah, they transported out.
CrazedAviator@reddit
Thats amazing, 15 seconds of being completely uncontrolled near a dense urban city and it splashes down harmlessly in the bay
JMC509@reddit
It crashed fairly close (\~1/4 mile) to the navy's fuel depot with like 8 huge tanks of jet fuel.
Stiv_b@reddit
And they keep the mine sweeping dolphins in pens right there. My son lives just east of Rosecrans straight up from Kellog’s beach. He was at work but is a little freaked out. That’s a few hundred yards from him.
_fuzzybuddy@reddit
The… the what?
madeformarch@reddit
If we didn't make peace with the mine sweeping dolphins before the enemy, our country would be less safe
sroop1@reddit
Have you seen our defense budget?
regtf@reddit
You have no idea if we do or don’t
sroop1@reddit
I've said too much.
MasterChief813@reddit
“Hey bud, do you mind telling me your location? I need to talk to you about something real quick.”-ONI probably
regtf@reddit
Who said what?
gpkgpk@reddit
Shush, disparaging the squid is a bootable offense.
Cnessel27@reddit
Why are you giving me the secret signal to shut up?
Tobi-2@reddit
I can neither confirm nor deny
BentGadget@reddit
I can confirm; I was once a boot.
regtf@reddit
Can I offer you a crayon in these trying times?
Klinky1984@reddit
We do have those subs, they just never return from their mission. We cannot obtain deep sea supremacy, that belongs to the squids.
Turbo-GeoMetro@reddit
Because we're not the Soviet Union. The Squid is their baby.
Stiv_b@reddit
We spend a lot of time on the water and see them out training pretty regularly. They are slowly going away and being replaced by drones. It’s really expensive and complex to transport and care for these guys. They also have sea lions that protect ships in port.
Marine Mammal Program
Pelosis_stupid_pen@reddit
…Sea lions carry a similar device in their mouth, but instead attach it by hand-cuffing one of the enemy’s limbs. The animals depend on their superior underwater senses and swimming ability to defend against counterattacks.
Kinky!
weinerpretzel@reddit
I’ve heard nothing but bad things from the C-130 crews that transport the sea lions
binaryplayground@reddit
Do tell!
weinerpretzel@reddit
They stink, require frequent stops, take forever to load and unload, all around much harder to deal with than people or parts which are the more common payload.
justgoaway0801@reddit
The...what?
weinerpretzel@reddit
See the link above
dairy__fairy@reddit
Dolphins that were taught to play minesweeper on PC.
The hardest part was designing the waterproof mouse for them to click.
_fuzzybuddy@reddit
Oooh! That makes sense, I wonder do they prefer solitaire
AlayneKr@reddit
They do, but the government took it off their computers to keep them less distracted.
dayburner@reddit
Pretty sure that is why Elon's developing Neurallink, so we can get hacker dolphins.
tysonisarapist@reddit
Just gonna end up with a bunch of dead dolphins that had head surgery.
ashleebryn@reddit
with freakin' laser beams attached to their heads.
europorn@reddit
Johnny Mnemonic enters the chat.
Haretebilly@reddit
SPAWAR is a division of the Navy that has been using marine mammals for decades. I could post some pics, but you will have more fun finding out for yourself. Object tagging and retrieval, perimeter security for shuttle launches and oil rigs.
Redditnspiredcook@reddit
The bad news to take away is that the US uses animals, including dolphins to sweep areas for explosives. The good news is they typically only ever have one bad day their entire life.
pucksnmaps@reddit
They seek out divers mostly. A dolphin isn't going to set off a naval mine.
WonkaTXRanger@reddit
& their MK-VII anti-diver boop snoots are so cute!
BentGadget@reddit
I want to see narwhals in the job.
Any_Wallaby_195@reddit
https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/the-mysterious-spiral-once-unicorn-horn-now-weapon-that-thwarted-terrorist-6149455/
pucksnmaps@reddit
Dolphins that seek out anomaliesin their area. Basically, military working dogs but dolphins. At a minimum in use by the US and Russia, probably a few other countries as well.
They made Red Alert but IRL.
CarobAffectionate582@reddit
The Russians used Beluga whales, too. They keep them in pens w/trackers, in the Kola inlet and other Northern Fleet base areas.
SAPERPXX@reddit
The Marine Mammal Program managed by the Reconnaissance and Interdiction Divison at NIWC Pacific.
_easilyamused@reddit
Cetacean ops! Super hush, hush. 🤫
jmckinn1@reddit
Startin' to see spaceships on Rosecrans
I seen the aliens hold hands
They wanna see me do my dance
I let 'em watch me do my dance
thealsomepanda@reddit
You just sent me down quite a rabbit hole of the US military using sea animals. I had no idea this was a thing. Apparently started in 1959
BlueFalcon142@reddit
Id go fishing for lobster in that same area when I was stationed there.
QuitBeingAbigOlCunt@reddit
Do … do they have laser beams?
It’s not sharks, but it’s close.
Stiv_b@reddit
No, but they have exploding buoys
“When an enemy diver is detected by a dolphin, the dolphin approaches from behind and bumps a device into the back of the enemy’s air tank. This device is attached to a buoy which then explodes, alerting the Navy personnel of the intruder. Sea lions carry a similar device in their mouth, but instead attach it by hand-cuffing one of the enemy’s limbs. The animals depend on their superior underwater senses and swimming ability to defend against counterattacks.”
QuitBeingAbigOlCunt@reddit
What the hell. That’s wild.
ChevTecGroup@reddit
I always wondered where they had that program
Isa_Matteo@reddit
They keep those tanks underground right…?
epsilona01@reddit
Back in 1989 a MiG-23 carried on for an hour after the pilot ejected and landed on a random house in Belgium.
nasadowsk@reddit
There was also the cornfield bomber. IIRC, it was repaired and put back into service
Puzzleheaded_Ad5805@reddit
It was in fact repaired and put back into service
ThexLoneWolf@reddit
More like lucky. I’m just glad nobody was hurt.
maxathier@reddit
Spare some thoughts for the fishes that perished tragically
binkerfluid@reddit
Amazing luck
boilerdam@reddit
Hand(s) of God!
PugnansFidicen@reddit
Hear hear. And don't worry about the downvotes. Reddit just has a weird hate boner for anything remotely religious. Like they can't understand how an intelligent, educated person could possibly be anything but atheist. It's not you, it's them.
Ghost-Rider9925@reddit
Don't know why you're being down voted but I'm thinking the same thing.
Mysterious_Silver_27@reddit
Its clearly machine spirit my dude, praise the omnissiah
BirriaTac0@reddit
The Emperor protects
MrNewking@reddit
Praise the lord 🙌 🙏
OldStromer@reddit
And pass the ammunition.
Unlucky-Ad-8052@reddit
Who is making these ejection seats because all the pilots have been fine and ejected safely
Morgan8er8000@reddit
Martin-Bakers been at it for 80+ years, naturally improving their designs over the decades.
rogueriffic@reddit
Come a long way since "Meet your maker in a Martin-Baker"
Morgan8er8000@reddit
Hahahaha yeah absolutely - they definitely learned a lot from each…failure 😬.
Foreign-Brief6108@reddit
Martin-baker.com
babyp6969@reddit
Everyone acts like the departure corridors and procedures aren’t specifically designed to keep this from happening over populations and to minimize risk to people on the ground.
Of course some luck is involved, but the fact that the jet harmlessly fell into the bay isn’t a miracle.
Individual-Stuff-842@reddit
Well it wasn’t a departing aircraft so the departure procedures dont even come into account for this situation.
itschabrah@reddit
Yes it is, having lived in Pt Loma this was insanely lucky. Could of just kept flying into the hill
babyp6969@reddit
Yeah I’m sure you living in pt loma qualifies you to disagree with me having flown out naval aircraft NASNI for the last several years 👌
noobbtctrader@reddit
You both agreed luck is involved. Case closed.
Pattonkesselring@reddit
Holy shit!
studentd3bt@reddit
I thought this was a clip and I was so confused why the plane wasn’t moving somehow lol but I’m dumb
slogive1@reddit
It’s flying!!!!
wesweb@reddit
initial reports praised the pilot for making sure it went down in the water. sounds like that was more like a stroke of luck.
Appropriate-Count-64@reddit
Almost certainly luck. They were only a few seconds away from having the aircraft hitting many different structures instead, and a minute away from having a rerun of the MiG-23 ghost piloting incident in 1983.
TheOGStonewall@reddit
I mean it’s possible, but I feel like hitting a Belgian farmhouse from the west coast is pushing plausibility a bit…
Cheetawolf@reddit
Makes me wonder why these planes don't have some sort of post-eject system to either guide them to water/open land, or just self-destruct on the spot so they won't crash into populated areas.
Deep-Bison4862@reddit
If you're ejecting, it's typically because the plane is no longer controllable. So that system would be fairly useless.
canttakethshyfrom_me@reddit
Very dumb luck.
DisregardLogan@reddit
Poor bird.
Can’t imagine what ejection was like, glad the pilots are ok.
No_Lifeguard1743@reddit
My friend flys f18s. He’s gone through the training for ejection. I asked how it was. He said painful and that wasn’t even an ejection. Id imagine once you pull the cord of no return, it happens so fast you don’t even know what’s going on. Just pain.
4stGump@reddit
I don't even recall any of the ejection training to be that bad. Unless, of course, he's talking about the chlorine during the dunker training. Then I wholeheartedly agree that it's stupidly painful to have chlorine levels that high. Eyes burned for a solid day afterwards.
No_Lifeguard1743@reddit
He talked about it maybe 2 years ago. He said sere was the worst. He mentioned something in water where you had to get out of something. And the ejection training, he said he got strapped into some contraption, the details are fuzzy, either said it was hard on his back or uncomfortable. He’s F18s now and did one deployment.
CapitanShinyPants@reddit
Either the Dilbert Dunker or the Helo Dunker, the Dilbert is a single place ride that simulates ditching a single-seat aircraft; helo dunker is a multi-seat ride that was originally based on the H-46.
They both function basically the same: you strap in, ride it into a large swimming pool, then wait for it to flip upside down, then you release your restraints and swim out.
CVBrownie@reddit
Well no matter the circumstances you only get like what, a max of two ejections before you can never fly again I think. It's too hard on your body.
Sabian491@reddit
That a myth, you just get evaluated after an ejection
xPR1MUSx@reddit
I was in VA Beach when an F-18 crashed into an apartment building about 10 years ago. The pilot knew there was an issue and managed to dump fuel and eject. But they were at such low altitude that they both got pretty beat up. It was very surreal. The jets are always around, you can totally forget about the actual risks involved.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Virginia_Beach_F/A-18_crash
Roadgoddess@reddit
Those of you that served in the military, what’s the ramification to the pilots after they ditch a plane like this?
Jhorn_fight@reddit
Even with pilot error if it results in no loss of life then not much. Maybe some additional training but the military has spent millions and millions of dollars training the pilot. They are an asset too expensive to replace on one error.
Edit: not saying this was pilot error
Roadgoddess@reddit
Thanks
Cruleonard@reddit
this picture would make a sick album cover.
madfortune@reddit
Might be something for r/NoStupidQuestions but: what actually happens with the aircraft when pilot(s) eject? I have 0 knowledge, but isn’t there some kind of “automatic pilot” to try to mitigate the risks of the inevitable crash?
Wiggly-Pig@reddit
Nope. If your on a really modern jet there might be some software to command a fuel shutoff and safe erasure of the mission computers / cryptographic codes. Otherwise it's just an unguided missile.
madfortune@reddit
Thanks for your reply, I’m actually curious to know so your answer helps a lot. Why do you think there’s not something like that? Because it simply doesn’t happen that much or because it’s too expensive to develop a system like that? Or something else?
Wiggly-Pig@reddit
I'm an operations engineer not a design engineer so unsure exactly why the design decisions are made that way, but I strongly suspect it's based on cost. Why go to the extra cost when it's never been needed and no certification design requirements mandate it?
Interestingly I had this argument with our airworthiness authority a few years ago - why are we so anal about certification of lost Comms procedures for drones when we don't apply the same rigour to post ejection fighters? Politics is the answer.
devildog2067@reddit
How would you design for a situation that, pretty much by definition, only occurs when a jet is badly broken? What assumptions would you make?
It’s not cost. It’s the fact that any design effort would add complexity that doesn’t add meaningful functionality. Pilots aren’t supposed to punch out of jets that are working, they’re supposed to punch out of jets that are crashing. The control surfaces are shot off, the airframe is broken in pieces, the engines are out. What possible use would there be to designing a system to try and “control” a jet in that situation?
Lampwick@reddit
Yep, and that's the entire reason why there isnt a "post ejection autopilot" system. If a computer can fly the jet, then so can the pilot. Pilot ejects when plane is unflyable, which means a computer can't fly out either. It'd be a complex solution to a non-existent problem.
weinerpretzel@reddit
We had a jet struck by lightning, the pilot went hypoxic and said he seriously thought about ejecting rather than attempting to land. There are reasons other than a bad jet to punch out and there are examples such as the F-35 that disappeared for a few hours in 2023 and the F102 that flew for an hour over Kansas City where pilotless aircraft didn’t immediately turn into craters
Lampwick@reddit
They don't happen often enough to warrant developing a specific RPV subsystem to handle saving the plane. The F-102 was in 1957. The F-35 was in 2023. There was also the famous "Cornfield Bomber" F-106 in 1970. These are anomalies, noteworthy precisely because it happens so rarely.
Wiggly-Pig@reddit
"...any design effort would add complexity..." That is a cost. I didn't mean hardware costs - those are almost always irrelevant in aerospace. I meant design, development, certification costs (resources of people's time).
devildog2067@reddit
Nope. It’s not about cost (though you are of course correct that complexity is cost too). It’s that complexity adds potential points of failure or failure modes without any corresponding benefit.
TimeSpacePilot@reddit
That and drones don’t weigh 33,000 pounds and fly at supersonic speeds. And RTH works pretty well.
PrettyPoptart@reddit
Ejecting is already the absolute worst case scenario
MrFickless@reddit
An ejection is typically for situations where the aircraft cannot be saved and is seconds away from crashing.
If the plane is in a situation where an autopilot can take over after ejection and steer away from a populated area, none of the above two criteria will be met.
Let’s say all engines fail at low altitude and there’s no chance the plane can land safely. The crew might intentionally aim the aircraft at an unpopulated area before ejecting to mitigate the risk of the aircraft crashing.
cakemates@reddit
Most planes are old, dont have the tech to do that. For the newer ones its just not a priority and it would take a metric ton of work to come up with software to asses where is the less lethal place to explode, it gets relegated as one of the pilot's jobs which is free.
slups@reddit
It’s likely that by the time the guys punched out the jet is not really flying controllably a large portion the time
madfortune@reddit
That’s a great point!
opteryx5@reddit
I saw the surveillance footage of this thing doing what looked like a nosedive — like an unguided missile. Any reason why it appears to be in level flight here?
MrFickless@reddit
Pilots probably ejected in level flight before the aircraft continued into an uncontrolled nosedive
opteryx5@reddit
Gotcha. Actually just noticed that there’s a description here — looks like the plane shot up after this and then did a nosedive. What a weird trajectory.
Tiny-Atmosphere-8091@reddit
Man I dunno. I’d hate for the seat to fail and command the fuel shutoff and engine cut off. Your canopy would blow out and you’d be sitting there proper fucked depending on the situation.
guynamedjames@reddit
Fuel shut-off is probably a design requirement these days. You don't want your plane flying into your own civilians on a training mission or the enemy's nice soft cornfield on an actual mission.
Antti5@reddit
Depends a lot on the plane. Older aircraft did not do anything, but usually they crashed quickly because the situation was obviously serious.
There was a famous case during late cold war, when a Soviet MiG-23 had an engine problem during takeoff, and the pilot ejected. The plane continued to fly on an autopilot over East Germany, West Germany and the Netherlands, before finally running out of fuel and crashing into a house in Belgium, killing one.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1989_Belgium_MiG-23_crash
Gloomy-Employment-72@reddit
I could be completely misremembering this, but I want to say I remember hearing a story about an older jet (maybe A-6) that had a cold catapult launch, crew ejected, and then the jet climbed and flew for some distance.
LateralThinkerer@reddit
There are some interesting stories about unguided aircraft traveling some distance and landing themselves in fields when they run out of fuel, but its not the usual result.
start3ch@reddit
The inherent stability of most planes definitely helps
LateralThinkerer@reddit
Fighters are usually very close to astable for manuverability - not much dihedral etc. to help. This is one reason that the pilots themselves are shocked when the aircraft lands itself; the assumption is that it will just crater in soon after.
"Feet Wet" by Paul Gillcrist had such an account - apparently the jet touched down in an open field near a city essentially without incident (or landing gear, obviously) - his CO gave him back the kneeboard he'd tossed on the glare shield before he punched out.
SubRosa9901@reddit
The "cornfield bomber" is actually what I was just thinking about. It was cool seeing it when I got to visit Dayton last year.
MSPRC1492@reddit
Even if there was, pilots don’t eject when things are working normally.
AlphSaber@reddit
No, it just goes into a ballistic path at best, or finishes disintegrating and returns to the ground via many ballistic paths over a wide area.
ssomajoseph@reddit
This is what happens when you let women fly fighter jets
rx149@reddit
And you're what happens when siblings procreate
Find_A_Reason@reddit
These women?
Looks like you don't know what a woman is...
SeenSoManyThings@reddit
This is what happens when you let trolls post their crap.
Wildschwein1337@reddit
Does ejecting also command a fuel cutoff? I’m not that well versed in military aviation so I’m curious if it does or why it would not.
FxckFxntxnyl@reddit
One of the wildest pictures of the year so far. Hopefully it doesn’t get worse than this….. but I’m not holding my breath. I know we lose a couple AF/Navy jets a year but still. Not feeling much optimism at the moment.
largerchungoboiii@reddit
Nothing impressive. We've all been brutally ejected from a growler.
martlet1@reddit
The lat growler crash fatality was part of the all female Super Bowl flyover. That crash was. October 2024. Near mt rainier.
erhue@reddit
has the reason for the crash been established yet? sounded like CFIT
Can_Not_Double_Dutch@reddit
Never heard of this, gonna have to look it up now
martlet1@reddit
The names of the two US Navy aviators who died in a Growler crash near Mount Rainier, Washington on October 15, 2024 were Lieutenant Commander Lyndsay Evans and Lieutenant Serena Wileman. Both were 31 years old and from California. Lyndsay Evans A naval flight officer from Palmdale, California Part of the first all-female flyover of Super Bowl LVII in 2023 Earned her “Wings of Gold” as a Naval Flight Officer from Naval Air Station Pensacola Earned the honor of becoming a Growler Tactics instructor Recognized as the 2024 Growler Tactics Instructor of the Year
Spacebotzero@reddit
Wow what a shot!
DeedsF1@reddit
Based on OP's testimony, I must say that the local population got very, very lucky. A few degrees in any direction and this could have been a different story. Do we know what could be a logical explanation to the incident?
notfromtheghetto@reddit
I was at the harbor hopping on a boat tour. Very happy it happened before we got in
CVBrownie@reddit
I was on the midway when it happened! I had just got into the ship for the tour, then went to the airport to fly home. I had no idea about this until I was waiting for my connecting flight 7 hours later. Crazy, it happened basically right in front of me and I had no idea.
jggearhead10@reddit
Glad the pilots ejected and hopefully they are okay.
I can’t believe that the DOD is going to let the Hornet line close soon with increased op tempo attriting these airframes and a massive naval conflict looming on the horizon and the replacement fighter FA/XX decades out (assuming Elon doesn’t “delete” the program)
masteroffdesaster@reddit
honestly, given current situation, I would not shut down any weapon production line. neither in US or in Europe until at least 2030
yegdriver@reddit
Why did they eject? The plane seemed to fly for another 15 to seconds. Maybe some negligence there on the pilot side.
slapnpopbass@reddit (OP)
I spoke to someone who saw the entire event from ejection to impact. It wasn't looking like it was flying right after takeoff but after the ejection, the plane pitched up, presumably because the center of gravity was now rearward. It went up into the clouds and then came back down about 15 seconds later. I was nearby and heard a jet just not seeming to move, so I went to look. I heard the jet get louder very quickly, then a large WHOOMPH and immediate silence.
It's not unusual for aircraft to continue flying after an ejection, kind of the like the "Cornfield Bomber" event.
BentGadget@reddit
I heard about the same thing from work. In fact, it interfered slightly with a Teams meeting. But anyway, the immediate silence made me think there was something going on with an engine test on the ground. It was a couple of hours later that I found out the real story.
27Rench27@reddit
Oh no I’m in a flat spin, this is effectively unrecoverable!
Haha fuck you Ima go calmly land in a field now
9999AWC@reddit
justf106things
27Rench27@reddit
Oh yeah! Also ^ makes them smaller, and > is how you put things into quote boxes. * before and after is italics, and ** bolds text
Silver996C2@reddit
Pilots don’t pull the handle over water in a perfectly good aircraft. You say it flew for another 15 seconds. I say its momentum carried it through the air for another 15 seconds. Even a rock can fly for 15 seconds. Get it?
AdurianJ@reddit
What are you talking about 15 seconds is nothing. Ejection seats dont like sinking aircraft
d-mike@reddit
That will eventually come out. Second guessing ejection decisions is usually not a good idea, particularly before all the facts are in hand
amancalledJayne@reddit
Worth mentioning that (last I checked) the Navy’s FA/XX program was still progressing normally. The manned fighter requirement of the Air Force’s FA/XX program is already being reevaluated… and that’s even before the current admin. Don’t have half a fucking clue what’s going to happen with them now.
All years and years away regardless.
DeltaV-Mzero@reddit
Progressing normally = 20 years based on the last few big ones lol
deleted_by_reddit@reddit
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Ziegler517@reddit
The block3 will have 50% increase in service hour life. And all existing E/F being upgraded too. I don’t know if the upgraded airframe will get a 50% cert bump too. But that dramatically increases their operational lifespan
Died_Of_Dysentery1@reddit
We will just have the Musk-35 as a replacement. $655 billion procurement and $600 million a piece.
Jazzlike-Network8422@reddit
Do you know the tail #? Or the unit?
Av8or4Lyfe@reddit
VAQ-135
Jazzlike-Network8422@reddit
Thanks. I have tons of pictures but I don’t think I have any of this unit.
Ok-Witness-8801@reddit
Auto pilot, drone!
mav3r1ck92691@reddit
I know you're joking, but drone fighters have been a thing for a long time.
Notonfoodstamps@reddit
Lived in SD during my time in the Navy.
The odds of this thing having uncontrolled flight for god knows how long and crashing harmlessly into the bay a couple hundred feet from a Harbor Dr is wild.
Opposite_Unlucky@reddit
Uh. Go back to the marine mammals pens. 😭
kingofturtles@reddit
This image has the vibes of an iconic photo. I have the feeling that this picture will be relevant and known 20, 30, maybe even 50 years from now.
RagchewingLid@reddit
I felt the same way.
babyp6969@reddit
…this picture will be forgotten in 3 months. Why would it be memorialized
kingofturtles@reddit
I might be somewhat sheltered here, but I have not seen any images of a modern jet flying with no canopy and no pilots. I just think its kinda rare is all.
Randy_____Marsh@reddit
I don’t think this is going to be relevant next week or even by Monday, much less years from now…
kingofturtles@reddit
The incident, no, but the image of a jet flying with no canopy and no pilots seems like it would be a rare photo.
bherman13@reddit
It does have album cover vibes to it, but I personally think that would be the only way it would be remembered decades from now.
kingofturtles@reddit
That might be it. It feels like it would make a killer album cover.
ChinaCatProphet@reddit
I see it has the Tesla self-flying option.
ph0on@reddit
momentarily, there was a totally free jet with the engine running and warmed up, lol. I guess then you'd run into the issue that cause the aforementioned ejection.
Sea-Summer-8017@reddit
Hello greetings, what's the appropriate air chuck to be used for servicing the landing gear of PA-44-180. Hope someone can help.
jessejamess@reddit
Wonder why they ejected from a seemingly perfectly fine aircraft
xlr8_87@reddit
There was a spider on the windscreen and they took the only logical survival step
TheRealtcSpears@reddit
Sounds reasonable, spiders hate gravity
white_sabre@reddit
Spiders hate this one simple trick.
fishsquitch@reddit
Issues aren't always immediately visible. Could've been something internal like hydraulic failure
BigJellyfish1906@reddit
There is 0 chance they had a total hydraulic failure. And if they beat the odds and somehow did, they should have killed the engines before ejecting.
kdegraaf@reddit
You heard it here, folks. No need for any investigations or anything. This douchebag has it all figured out.
emveetu@reddit
Wonder why you expounded such silliness with seemingly perfectly fine words.
Ziegler517@reddit
The cockpit could have been completely dark and zero response to control input.
In your defense, it is ‘seemingly’ perfectly fine so it’s a valid question, so no downvotes are needed but hey that’s Reddit for you. In reality no pilot ejects from a perfectly fine aircraft.
boilerdam@reddit
They hadn’t purchased the $4.99 expansion pack for additional flight time #budgetcuts
Shul407@reddit
Pretty surreal stuff. I work on the base about 200 yards from where it went down. Counting my blessings for sure.
Khamvom@reddit
This photo reminds me of when a USMC F-35 pilot ejected over South Carolina, and his aircraft kept flying undetected for another 60 miles before crashing.
DBFlyguy@reddit
Geez...It has been an incredibly rough couple of weeks for aviation, mil and civil.
skolvikes1419@reddit
Premature ejection
SGalbincea@reddit
“Negative, Ghost Rider, the pattern is full.”
Hold my beer. 👻
deleted_by_reddit@reddit
[removed]
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