Fighter jets collide in Oregon, killing two

[srirangan]

http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/holnus/003200407221375.htm

Portland (Oregon), July 22. (AP):A pair of fighter jets collided in Oregon while conducting a training exercise, killing two reservists and injuring another.

At least one of the dead was a pilot; the other was a pilot or a weapons operator, said Capt. Michael Braibish of the Oregon National Guard.

A third crew member survived and was to be released yesterday from the emergency room at Mid-Columbia Medical Centre.

"In some respects, it's very amazing - no broken bones, no abrasions, minor injuries," said Dr. John Jacobson, who treated the unidentified airman.

The jets, both F-18 warplanes, collided over the Columbia River near Arlington, about 195 kilometers east of Portland.

Debris from the jets was scattered as far away as Interstate 84, 13 kilometers south of Arlington.

"We felt it, like a supersonic boom, like someone ran into the building," said Linda Williams, an employee of the Village Inn in Arlington.

The jets were based at the Miramar Naval Air Station in San Diego, according to Nancy Corey, a spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration in Seattle.

The jets were conducting a low-altitude training exercise from a National Guard base in Portland to a bombing range in Boardman, Oregon. One plane was a single seater, while the other had two seats.

[SABRE]

Sri now can I say "the fools they were" :D:

Well its always a stupididty when two jets are coming towards each other and one pilot tells the other "you go left I go right" not realizing that left for the other pilot is actualy his right or the direction he wants to turn to. Both will end up in same direction and colide. "they should say lets both turn to our right hands".

This has happened alot. USAF has about 10+ cases when pilots have misjudged the direction of each other due to this right & left thing.

[srirangan]

I think it's just an unfortunate accident.

[SABRE]

I think it's just an unfortunate accident.

Ya thats what I think too, but i was just giving a probable reason. But mostly its a pilot communications error when such accidents accour. But I dont think F-18 pilots would be such careless to make a communicating errors. It might have been miss understanding of body language or the movement of the jets that might have caused the clash. But these things do happen. If you have got the Discovery channel they keep showing documentory shows on jets, when doc was made on these collisions. It said its almost 78% pilots fault when these things happen and almost 81% fail to communicate in right words with each other and 11% miss understand the opposite jets movements and 11%are purly accidents probably due to melfunction.

[gf0012-aust]

I think it's just an unfortunate accident.

Ya thats what I think too, but i was just giving a probable reason. But mostly its a pilot communications error when such accidents accour. But I dont think F-18 pilots would be such careless to make a communicating errors. It might have been miss understanding of body language or the movement of the jets that might have caused the clash. But these things do happen. If you have got the Discovery channel they keep showing documentory shows on jets, when doc was made on these collisions. It said its almost 78% pilots fault when these things happen and almost 81% fail to communicate in right words with each other and 11% miss understand the opposite jets movements and 11%are purly accidents probably due to melfunction.

It is std practice for each aircraft to break to the same side, eg "break left", that way there is no confusion. Interestingly enough these planes were based at Mirimar - the Top Gun school base.

In 6 months time once the reports and post analysis work is done, then we'll have a better idea.

[P.A.F]

thats a very rare and unfortunate accident. all american f-18's have got software which enables them to get centimeters apart. could be a software failure. :?

[SABRE]

thats a very rare and unfortunate accident. all american f-18's have got software which enables them to get centimeters apart. could be a software failure. :?

Hmmm. Could be. There are too many software problems being reported now days. Just recently Deesault found a glitch in Mirage2000-5 (which can cause a crash either of Jets computer system or the Jet it self). What they dnt knw is wheather the glitch is in Mirage2000-5 jets or in older ones too.

Lets wait 4 da results

[Gremlin29]

thats a very rare and unfortunate accident. all american f-18's have got software which enables them to get centimeters apart. could be a software failure.

No such software or capability exists in any of the F-18 variants currently in use. NASA was working on a system that allowed autonomous formation flight however it's not meant to be used in tactical flight formations.

These aircraft were conducting terrain flight which in itself is quite dangerous. There are considerable scenario's and circumstances which would contribute to a mid-air, bird strike, obstacle avoidance, inadvertant IMC etc. I have hundreds of hours of formation terrain flight experience as an aviator, it's 110% demanding and 120% unforgiving of error. For crew rest considerations, we calculate 1 hour of formation terrain flight to be equivalant to 3.2 hours of a standard duty day. As an aside, it's pretty common to perform tactical missions in radio silence, calls for turns and formation changes are reserved for airshows and the like. The route, mode of flight, formations and formation changes are briefed prior to flight. Radio usage is normally restricted to commo with Air Traffic Control and in the case of aerial gunnery or bombing with Range Control.

[gf0012-aust]

thats a very rare and unfortunate accident. all american f-18's have got software which enables them to get centimeters apart. could be a software failure.

No such software or capability exists in any of the F-18 variants currently in use. NASA was working on a system that allowed autonomous formation flight however it's not meant to be used in tactical flight formations.

These aircraft were conducting terrain flight which in itself is quite dangerous. There are considerable scenario's and circumstances which would contribute to a mid-air, bird strike, obstacle avoidance, inadvertant IMC etc. I have hundreds of hours of formation terrain flight experience as an aviator, it's 110% demanding and 120% unforgiving of error. For crew rest considerations, we calculate 1 hour of formation terrain flight to be equivalant to 3.2 hours of a standard duty day. As an aside, it's pretty common to perform tactical missions in radio silence, calls for turns and formation changes are reserved for airshows and the like. The route, mode of flight, formations and formation changes are briefed prior to flight. Radio usage is normally restricted to commo with Air Traffic Control and in the case of aerial gunnery or bombing with Range Control.

The RAAF has lost a few aircraft like this in the past. Unfortunately when you train hard, accidents will and do happen.

[Soldier]

It happened only 70 miles north of me..Pretty scary!!!

[Londo Molari]

Poor pilots and their families... unfortunate indeed.