RCAF CF-18 crash

[BQZip01]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VU-hJ9r7fGg&feature=player_embedded

IMHO, looks like he lost control in slow flight (whether mechanical or pilot error), rolled right, and couldn't recover. Punching out was a good call.

Hope you get better soon buddy!

Edited July 24, 2010 by BQZip01

[ClearedHot]

Asymmetric thrust is a bitch.

[Prosuper]

Here is a link of some good pic's. It appears that the right engine was not putting out anything if you look at the exhaust nozzles. I'm just a mx dude so I am assuming that f-18's don't fly well with just one engine.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/prairies/cf-18-fighter-jet-crashes-in-alberta/article1649943/#photos

[WheelzUp]

Here is a link of some good pic's. It appears that the right engine was not putting out anything if you look at the exhaust nozzles. I'm just a mx dude so I am assuming that f-18's don't fly well with just one engine.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/prairies/cf-18-fighter-jet-crashes-in-alberta/article1649943/#photos

Ehh....looks to me like the right nozzle is choked down for military or dry thrust. Guessing he lit the blowers to get out of slowflight and only the left nozzle opened giving him an asymmetric push to the right without enought speed for flight control inputs to fix it. Bad day.

[sledy]

Here is a link of some good pic's. It appears that the right engine was not putting out anything if you look at the exhaust nozzles. I'm just a mx dude so I am assuming that f-18's don't fly well with just one engine.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/prairies/cf-18-fighter-jet-crashes-in-alberta/article1649943/#photos

Read some of the comments on that page. Some people are just ######ing stupid beyond belief....

Sledy

[Majestik Møøse]

Ehh....looks to me like the right nozzle is choked down for military or dry thrust. Guessing he lit the blowers to get out of slowflight and only the left nozzle opened giving him an asymmetric push to the right without enought speed for flight control inputs to fix it. Bad day.

Agreed that the AB in right eng didn't light. In picture 2 the exhaust gas looks a lot more prominent out of the left eng, while in picture 3 the flamethower effect coming out of the left is probably caused by the AB shooting fuel into a suddenly slow exhaust stream. Never seen it before so that's my guess.

[Prosuper]

My compliments to the CAF egress troops.

[MKopack]

I understand that Booser is now out of the hospital and in good shape. Here's some better video: http://www.leaderpost.com/news/crashes+Alberta+airport/3315220/story.html

[contraildash]

Anyone else catch the music that was playing? Rather appropriate.

I don't think the F-18 has huge issues with asymmetric thrust when the engines are as close as they could possibly get. More like a contributing factor to why the jet went right when it stalled, but not the cause of the crash.

More like high AOA + low airspeed + loss of thrust = stall.

Edited July 24, 2010 by contraildash

[WheelzUp]

The T-38 doesn't have "huge" issues with asymetrical thrust either, but it doesn't take much to induce a stall when you are that slow. Doesn't matter if the engines are 6 inches from fuselage centerline or 6 feet. When one is producing more thrust than the other, and especially during transient states, a yaw moment is induced. Bottom line, at the speed and AOA he was flying at, even a small change in yaw could be nasty if you don't catch it early.

Wheelz

[contraildash]

Wheelz, I agree with that. I was just saying that the change in yaw wouldn't necessarily be what caused the stall, more so the loss of the thrust that was sustaining him in high AOA slow flight. The asymmetrical yaw just made things worse (yaw-roll-change in lift vector) at a point when this dude was way behind the power curve (not his fault).

That flight regime make me curious. Are the wings actually stalled out to begin with? Is it just the thrust keeping the jet in the air? Could a F-18 even muscle it's way out of that flight regime on a single engine? Who knows. I don't.

Bottom line, there wasn't much of a safety margin and unfortunately something failed on this dude. Fortunately he made the timely decision to eject.

Edited July 25, 2010 by contraildash

[fastnumber15]

Could just be the angle but it looks like he missed the canopy by a foot or two...whew.

[MKopack]

Here's a quote from PADI, the '06-07 East Coast Hornet Demo pilot, from over at ASB.tv:

The high alpha pass is recoverable from an engine loss depending on the altitude where the failure occurs. Normal altitude loss if done correctly is about 400-450'. USN Legacy Hornet demo targets 500-700' AGL at 25 alpha during the manuever for single engine considerations. Even then, the jet is very difficult to recover if one were to lose an engine. It is something that is practiced in the simulator many many times before ever getting into the jet and takes alot of finesse and alpha control to avoid a departure(out of control). As a matter of technique, our demo pilots are taught to enter the high alpha pass with target airspeeds at the 180 and 90 position to avoid lower power settings on maneuver entry. This prevents the jet from getting behind the power curve as the jet decelerates to 25 alpha. I'm not sure what alpha the CF-18 demo targets during their manuever. If they are targeting 35 alpha then it would be next to impossible to recover the jet in a single engine scenario from that altitude and attitude.

I'm glad he made it out with minimal injury.

Get well Boozer..

PADI

The Canadians years in the past not only did the high alpha pass, but 'walked' the aircraft in a 360 degree circle around the field. I believe they only made that pass for a year or two before it was removed - at least from what I remember, over safety concerns.

[Guest]

Matbe he can use this video to get his centerline thrust restriction removed.

Couple notable quotes:

1st video:

"Honey, pack up the camper this show's over and I wanna beat the traffic out of here..."

2nd video:

Tower: "Boozer 1, cleared for the option"

Boozer: "Uh, Tower, Boozer 1, this'll be a full stop."

[contraildash]

The Canadians years in the past not only did the high alpha pass, but 'walked' the aircraft in a 360 degree circle around the field. I believe they only made that pass for a year or two before it was removed - at least from what I remember, over safety concerns.

that'd be awesome to see.

Matbe he can use this video to get his centerline thrust restriction removed.

lol

The song playing was, well, literally perfect for the situation.

Edited July 25, 2010 by contraildash

[MKopack]

By CBC News, cbc.ca, Updated: July 26, 2010 6:49 PM

CF-18 crash pilot applauds ejection seat

The Canadian Forces pilot who ejected from a fighter jet just moments before it crashed and exploded suffered back injuries but is expected to make a full recovery.

"I feel extremely lucky considering the magnitude of the accident — Martin Baker is my new best friend!" said Capt. Brian Bews, 36, in his first public statement since Friday's crash in Lethbridge, Alta.

Martin Baker is the brand name of the ejection seat in the CF-18 Hornet that Bews was piloting. He was making a low-speed pass at low altitude on a practice run for the Alberta International Airshow when he had to eject from the jet seconds before it smashed into the airstrip at the Lethbridge airport.

Bews suffered compression fractures in three vertebrae and will be wearing a back brace for a few months, the Department of National Defence said Monday.

"Given the incredible amount of force in the ejection sequence, this type of injury is very common in aircrew who eject," said Maj. Rachel Morrell, a military surgeon. She said Bews will likely make a full recovery but there's no timeline on when he will be able to return to flying duties.

"I will be concentrating on rest for the next while," Bews said Monday. The pilot thanked first responders for their quick reaction after the crash and the staff at the Lethbridge hospital where he was taken.

"I would also like to thank my family, friends, my demo team and my air show family for their amazing support since the accident," said Bews, who is from Eatonia, Sask.

The pilot learned how to fly in Okotoks, Alta., and joined the Canadian Forces in 1999. Five years later, he achieved his dream of being assigned to fly a CF-18 Hornet, according to Bews's military biography.

The cause of the crash is under investigation. Bews was flying a CF-18 Hornet designated for air shows and demonstrations.

Canada's aging fleet of CF-18s recently went through a $2.6-billion upgrade. But the Canadian government announced earlier this month that they will be replaced by the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter at a cost of $9 billion.

[killacam]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/38752427#38752427

"Ejection is not for sissies, Captain."

[Guest]

"Ejection is not for sissies, Captain."

Nor is the alternative.

Airshow practice...just sayin'.