Wednesday, June 5, 2019

Wreckage after an emergency landing of an F-14A Tomcat on the deck of USS Kitty Hawk, Summer 1994


5 comments:

  1. "Think you used enough dynamite there, Butch?"

    - Aesop

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  2. Thankfully, both the pilot and the RIO (Radio Intercept Officer) survived the crash and were listed in satisfactory condition afterwards. I watched the video (horrible quality but you can see a fireball explode) and read the report. Looking at the picture above, it's hard to imagine anyone surviving that, but they did. God had mercy on them.

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    Replies
    1. They survived. That is good news, but did they have to reimburse the Navy for destruction of government property?

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    2. The pilot never flew Tomcats again. The deck was going up and down with the swells +-10', and he made an 8ncorrect power cut to chase the deck down. When the deck started back up, all of the thrust available wasn't enough to avoid a ramp strike. The RIO landed on deck by S-3s parked on the deck edge. The pilot landed in the flames around the wreckage seen (it actually caught a wire). The front 2/3 of the plane skidded in flames off the front of the angled deck.

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  3. I WAS ON THE CONNIE WHEN THIS HAPPENED. WE HEARD ABOUT THE CRASH. A FULL SUMMER FOR BOTH CARRIER GROUPS.

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