EA-18 Growler crash at KMUO
Posted by b788_@reddit | aviation | View on Reddit | 59 comments
I was at the event watching this happen, i did miss the first few seconds but i saw what happened, super scary
Also mods i dont understand why my post got deleted, there is no such rule as you cant post too much of one event when i checked. Like i said i was there, these are my pictures
WunderStug@reddit
I'm so glad the pilots are ok.
b788_@reddit (OP)
Absolutely, super close from death from the crew on the bottom (504 i believe) but miracles
WunderStug@reddit
Every time I see a mid-air collision, I get flashbacks to Texas Raiders and the P-63. So glad these pilots were able to eject.
Wolffe4321@reddit
It was the last of its kind too, last f variant and all those people
LaddieNowAddie@reddit
That video of that crash will forever be burned into my brain.
syzygialchaos@reddit
F everyone who posted without a NSFW tag, coulda lived my whole life not seeing that. RIP.
Salt-Wish5140@reddit
And the backseaters
mencival@reddit
Yeah, they could have easily landed on that b788_.
Historical_Meet3370@reddit
Too close for guns, im switching to undercarriage
JasonIsFishing@reddit
One of the pilots is going to have some explaining to do.
Kardinal@reddit
Maybe. Could be mechanical failure.
publicram@reddit
This has to be the craziest crash with succesfull elections.
PortErnest22@reddit
Now I know what the planes have been quiet this afternoon ( I live on North Whidbey )
SocialSyphilis@reddit
I recently watched a YouTube channel do an analysis of Zapper 12, the Growler crash near Rainier 18 months ago. They mentioned pilot proficiency and flight hours as one of the contributing factors in that loss. This latest news does not bode well for the units at NAS Whidbey. I wonder what's going on.
junk-trunk@reddit
Hopefully the navy and af haven't had their flught hour funding cut. Yes I know the Army is mainly helicopters but those guys cant get any flight hours. Funding cuts is crushing Army aviation pilot proficiency. I really hope the Navy and AF aren't faced with the same thing.
Logizyme@reddit
They train all the time. NAS Whidbey is at sea level and they practice short take offs and landings to prepare for carriers, then they fly into high altitude areas in the North Cascades. I hear them take off all the time when I fish in the Sound and have seen them run practice missions and dog-fight each other over the North Cascades when I am camping.
junk-trunk@reddit
Good to know, I am glad. The Army is going to start pounding them in before long and that sucks.
luvsads@reddit
Watermark ain't big enough
b788_@reddit (OP)
I couldnt make them smaller 😭😭😭
ButteredPizza69420@reddit
Even better blur the text and place it over the focus point in the image like stock images does
ResponsibilityOld164@reddit
No it’s good. And don’t let any media use these photos without giving you money.
b788_@reddit (OP)
Just curious i will but how much is good? How much money can i charge and they be like yeah thats cool, whats the maximum we can go
PhillySandwichesGOAT@reddit
likely depends on how soon you'd want to sell them.
Airshows are typically packed with amateur photographers and pros alike with telephoto lenses.
So soon there's likely to be super hi-res and up close images, if not videos of this coming out as people get back home to their computers
lockerno177@reddit
the ride down the parachute must be "The Office" worthy material.
southpluto@reddit
"Whoops"
TheTangoFox@reddit
Dwight Chute
floppy_disk_5@reddit
we need a skit now
Melodic_692@reddit
Having viewed the footage, is it possible to ascertain who might be blamed for the collision? From my perspective it seems like an extremely unfortunate freak accident with no one at fault, however I imagine the pilots may be reprimanded if they are deemed to be at fault. From the minimal footage I’ve seen it seems as tho both planes were briefly in each others blind spots, I’m no fighter pilot tho
ThatRunwayBehindUs@reddit
For the people asking why - this is a simplsitic analysis, but likely holds some grain of truth. We shall see what the investigation ultimatrly reveals, but my guess is:
He rejoined the formation too fast... The rejoin is a somewhat complex manuever, and the escape route is known as an "under run".
For reasons that likely involve "its an air show" - it appears that he closed the gap much too quickly and didnt realize how quickly his relative motion and distance was closing.
By the time he did realize it, it appears that he had already over taken the other jet, and while he may have tried to start an under run manuever - it was much too late.
The reason I think he attempted to start an under-run is because how much lead pitched up. That was him both hitting and driving down into the tail of lead, until the excess energy just carried Dash-2, up the fuselage of lead. At that point both jets were quite nose high and realtively low on energy and they appear to stall. Then it appears the fly-by-wire system took over to attempt to control the stall and they were too low to recover (this is why both jets appear to do the same thing).
Basic failure to follow rule #1 of form flying: "Dont hit lead".
Magooose@reddit
Could the high gusty winds been a factor? There were doubts if the Thunderbirds would be able to perform this weekend. I was out there on Friday to see them practice but stayed away today because I just didn’t want to deal with the wind. It is still very, very windy.
Advanced_Gear404@reddit
The Thunderbirds fly a few feet apart making them more vulnerable to windy days. No one expects two Growlers to be that close.
Top/rear pilot probably lost vision of the other jet and didn't make a move to escape the situation.
Aeson_Ford_F250@reddit
I wonder what the conversation between the pilots on the ground was like.....
got_sweg@reddit
Our tax dollars holy cow
Peter_Merlin@reddit
“Tie two birds together. And though they may have four wings, they cannot fly.”
- The Blind Man, Circle of Iron
CFH75@reddit
Strangest crash I’ve ever seen.
deadbeef4@reddit
They looked like two eagles with their talons locked together.
zross312@reddit
Horrible accident - but I’m glad there’s 4 new members of the tie club and not 4 new gold star families.
IHearYouLimaCharlie@reddit
Well that's an interesting site, with stories and everything. Thanks!
frankenmaus@reddit
I like fighter pilots that don't crash.
aviation-ModTeam@reddit
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lockerno177@reddit
this might be the coolest mid air that the world has ever witnessed.
aide_rylott@reddit
It’s crazy how synchronized they were through the whole crash.
QuarterlyTurtle@reddit
Even the ejections were practically simultaneous
b788_@reddit (OP)
Yeah, the reason why is because the top one basically landed on top of the other and they stuck and fell together
FxckFxntxnyl@reddit
Incredible.
747ER@reddit
Probably not the wisest idea to post a picture of a plane crash with the name of a common large airliner (B788) displayed largely on the screen…
BoringBob84@reddit
While I appreciate your balanced and reasonable approach in general on this sub, I will argue with you - in all due respect - on this topic. 😉
"B788" is an abbreviation - an unofficial nickname for the "Boeing 787-8" series of aircraft. While I concede that it is common understanding for industry insiders, I question whether the general public would make that association. What do you think?
Source: Boeing
747ER@reddit
That’s a fair response, I appreciate that. I would say this is an aviation subreddit rather than a “general public” one, but I think your point still stands.
BoringBob84@reddit
You make a good point. I will add to that the argument that people with expertise in aviation will not conflate that military incident in the post with the Boeing 787, while the general public might do so.
And since this sub probably includes people in both categories, and in the interest of "better safe than sorry," then I concede your point.
flashman@reddit
Why?
b788_@reddit (OP)
Two things 1. Thats my user so automatically that would make that the watermark 2. Watermark couldnt be made smaller or less opacity due to reddit limitations 3. A normal civilian (that has little plane knowledge) may not know what that means
747ER@reddit
I understand, but something as simple as “credit to: u/b788_” would’ve prevented possible confusion. You shared this in an aviation group, so people who don’t know what a B788 is would be in the minority. I do understand the challenges with making the watermark smaller, that’s frustrating.
I_Love_Obamna@reddit
Love my tax dollars crashing into each other into a ball of flames 👍🏽
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SummerInPhilly@reddit
Wait til you hear what happened Easter weekend
Vespajet@reddit
https://www.reddit.com/r/aviation/comments/1tfyi09/mhafb_gunfighter_skies_air_show_crash_video/
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b788_@reddit (OP)
OC, my content
airport-codes@reddit
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