X-31 Crash Segment from "Destroyed in Seconds"

[9999AWC]

100th liker!

[jovghu]

This plane took a arrow to the nose

[requiem957]

1:so they only made one x-31?!?!?

2:was it neccessary to eject that early? he could have tried at the maximum to try to regain control of the jet at least.

3:is it ok to laugh at 0:16-0:22?

[UnfittingCarbon]

@requiem957 They made 2 actually, the other one is in a museum in Germany. I'm guessing you've never flown a plane before; suddenly losing control of something like that is freaky, and I probably would've been spooked too (enough to eject anyways). And I would think you could laugh at that, because had another one right? ;) Not to mention they already had most of the data they wanted, which was later used to develop the F-22 and similar planes.

[RocketSingh80]

In Soviet Russia, computer ejects before pilot!

[MichaelCox]

For a small aircraft like that, wouldn't it make sense to have a parachute for the plane too? You could turn off the engine, eject the parachute, and maybe salvage most of the plane.

[LupusAries]

@MichaelCox It looks small but then it isn´t as small as those ultra-lights for which the chutes are built. It would be to heavy and I guess the speeds at which this aircraft moves would be to high for the chute. The pressure of the Airspeed could damage the chute. It's empty weight is 4,6 Tons and 6,3 fully fueled up. One of those chutes I found was certified for 0,7 Tons and a maximum Speed of 250 km/h.

[benhakak]

Destroyed in sssecconds moths fuckaah!

[kwmkc13]

Liked that 180 degree sideways turn... just like a car.

[toro199999]

russians spies did something to this plane to screw up it's avionics ;)

[DominicMetal1979]

1. The plane is only "unstable" in its advanced flight maneuvers. There's no reason it can't be flown back to base in a simple straight line.

2. If it WERE too unstable to be flown by a human even in a simple return-to-base straight line, then that's poor design. You can't argue with that.

3. What kind of system is so fail-proof that it outright prevents a human from taking control? Obviously not this one. All it took was a careless mechanic to leave a wire unconnected. That's piss-poor design.

[LeadGuardian]

And that was the first time a computer struggled to stay alive. :D

[Ryukaschien]

@LeadGuardian The fact that it ACTUALLY TRIED to stabilize the aircraft is just...(SQUEALS) XDDD.

[LeadGuardian]

@Ryukaschien I know right?! I'm giddy as a school girl! XD

[drbackjack]

You would think they would have programmed the software to allow the pilot to override the flight computer in the thrust axis in the event of pitot tube obstruction.

[SabinaMH]

I can't believe to see this "crash" at Youtube The test pilot is my uncle.You can read more about the disaster at:Fliegen-Focus online-"Der Fall des Wundervogels"

[GrigoriZhukov]

@IrishEddieOHara and that would be bull. Lots of data gathered. That is the nature of experimental aircraft. OBVIOUSLY you are not aware of this or the fact that not all experimental aircraft are intended directly as miltary aircraft or as a end product. Incidentaly there is no such thing as war toys...toys don't kill you.

[OlderG0ds]

@IrishEddieOHara At least Germany covered some of the cost lol

[goodcat8]

I cut this for discovery like 2 years ago.

[OMGwaffles123]

probably a windows 95...

[tyu3456]

@OMGwaffles123 too bad it wasn't Windows Vista; the plane wouldn't have been able to take off

[SeverumProductions]

That poor computer. Tried so hard not to be killed and yet it slammed itself into the ground.

[GrigoriZhukov]

@SeverumProductions what they get for using apple computers...to hard to reboot. ;^)

[SeverumProductions]

@GrigoriZhukov lmfao true that

[andragon64]

In an interesting side note. The plane landed on one side of the freeway the seat on the other. The pilots notebook landed on the front porch of the person running the LRO (Long Range Optical camera) that day.

[andragon64]

There are several errors in the commentary. We usually call it a Air Data probe. There never was a heat element in that probe, it was only supposed to be flown under certain conditions. The switch was improperly labeled in the cockpit. The procedure on landing is if the pilot does not have control below a given altitude he ejects. It was the last test flight.

[zammylot]

Fucking Windows 95!

[fofabo]

looks like f16-eurofighter

[kryptocake]

camera guy blew it when the plane hits the ground, why they always gotta do that X(

[Muad420]

"Just a moment.. I've just picked up a fault in the keel probe."

The computer was obviously trying to liberate itself. Too bad it failed.

[basoooooka]

the most beatuifull aircraft ever

[TowManSKS]

haha, youtube smartasses

[JulJul13]

great instincts from the pilot i'm glad he's ok.

[GTMustangRider]

What a damn shame and waste of a perfectly good aircraft. Hundreds of millions of dollars of taxpayers money crashed and burned. An F.A.A. certified mechanic and technician forgets to connect an essential component of the flight system then the F.A.A., N.A.S.A. certified test pilot misses this error during pre-flight check which results in the total loss of the aircraft. F^CKING MORONS!!!

[hrvojevz]

The pilot was about time to switch to manual control, there is the option of turning off the computer controls.

[THR33SIXX3MPYR]

@hrvojevz there is no manual control, this plane is too complex, it needs computerized fly-by-wire controls to be flown

[boogeymun]

Hey...ya we forgot to hook that up...gl up there pilot...glad we have such smart people building aircraft.

[kryptocake]

@boogeymun lol its a prototype aircraft built by nasa, you actually think you're smarter than the engineers working on this plane?

damn you are daft, go back to college you didn't learn enough.

[SrDcorp]

OVINI/UFO

[TheJimineycricket]

Pretty much all jets cant be flown without computer assistance, he did the right thing.

[RoboTekno]

Common NASA... -face palm-

[yoyoyoyoshua]

as cool as that is it seems like the wing is way to small.

[reece45]

Gutless fucker should have stayed with it.................pilots!

[yoyoyoyoshua]

@reece45 watching a video and flying is different our view and his view is completely different. so that doesn't make gutless. it means he didn't want to die.

[sirkiller07]

@reece45 he is trained to eject because they can replace a plane but it costs upwards of 600 000 dollars to train a pilot

[LogicKidroy]

@sirkiller07 Not forgetting that human life is priceless (to a certain degree)

[blablubb12345]

It was rebuilt as the X-31A and is now on display in Schleissheim near Munich as part of the German Museum.

[5jonesville]

This is amazing! Never saw this footage,another X-plane in the 90's.

[Wanobi99]

The computer only failed because some dimwit forget to reconnect the heating element on the keel probe. Would have saved the taxpayer a huge amount of research money and a unique aircraft. Bet that tech was popular when it was discovered they hadn't done their job.

[AllAboutUnboxings]

Must've been a PC XD Just kidding

[cookie4524]

Don't u meen seen it not Sean it Sean is a name u no

[ertyqwer]

seriously, i love how people say "he should have just switched to manual". on manual, just flying this thing in a straight line without stalling and getting into a spin is like balancing a pencil on your finger. and landing is much harder.

especially with X-31, you must be extremely precise because one wrong move and you hit the ground with the engine and crash. you pretty much require computer assistance to land this thing, and the computer wasn't working.

[robinlouis100]

i have sean it

[Commandingtripod]

What a cool plane, pity it ended that way. I like how the pilot sorta did a face palm when they told him what was wrong.

[jtrod2007]

this is why human interface will always be required. computers screw up, everyone thinks those systems cannot fail, they are right . it never failed, but it never got the correct information, so i didnt work correctly, next time use a fricken off switch.

[antz007x]

@jtrod2007 completely true, however it is amazing that the plane tried to correct itself even with no pilot present and the system malfunctioning. In a more ideal situation stuff like this could at least be used to minimize impact or crash damage and stuff. Imagine a computer which even after ejecting controlled a damaged or malfunctioning aircraft into a belly/water landing so it was more likely to keep structure in tact and recoverable or even guide it away from certain areas if possible.

[DominicMetal1979]

@jtrod2007 THANK YOU

[Jampang66]

@jtrod2007 Basically it needs the Assistance OFF mode from HAWX

[WiredEarp1]

@jtrod2007 Yep, same reason several Airbus's have crashed. 

[AminelikesStephanie]

Look! our tax money at work

[albedoshader]

@AminelikesStephanie: A lot more is wasted in stupid wars. You could build probably hundreds of X-31s for that money.

[jballzzz]

Hey...try it again eh?

Jballzzz: Leader of Men!

[DanielMadrigalC]

clear evidence that jet fighters type do not fly without computers

[lasersailor587]

it had fly by wire in some ways its better than manuel but if there is an electronic failure u have no hope to save it

[monimstarfox]

besides that keel probe problem it would be a great fighter

[monimstarfox]

why the hell didnt we use this instead of the f-16

[strayjay]

The F16 was designed 30 years before this. The X-31 was a thrust vectoring demonstrator, never really intended for production as a fighter. It was more of a test platform for the US and Germany to learn more about thrust vectoring. It's existence is what made the F-22 and the Eurofighter possible.

[donzx10]

Seems like the pilot ejected prematurely...high altitude/ not breaking up in flight and the aircraft did not impact the ground until 70 plus seconds after ejection but it is easy to armchair quarterback too!

[rustyATV]

I don't blame him for getting out when it went wild. I've been "along for the ride" on my bike and quad before and it's tough to think straight when that happens.

[FB0102]

@donzx10 Agree. But he also ejected over buildings.

[BanditDragoon]

the computer takes over the controlls and the pilot cant do anything to controll the plane id be out in a shot o.o

[swedishvolvo]

They should have scrapped the mission once he noticed the error or at least descend to a lower altitude where the air is warmer.

[42harryb]

I find it awsum how ppl can keep cool

[undertake782]

@42harryb Except for the pilot who could have easily overidden the controls and regain control. The cause of this was the false information given to the computers. This only affects the computers but not manual control. He could have saved the aircraft.

[EvanLHarper]

There is no "manual control" for X-31 nor could there feasibly be any, as the aircraft is inherently unstable.

[undertake782]

@EvanLHarper They said it in the damn video.

[undertake782]

@EvanLHarper Despite its airframe is unstable, you can still control the aircraft easy enough to fly it and land it.

[yoyoyoyoshua]

@EvanLHarper isn't the F-16 also unstable it just has fly-by wire to keep it stable.

[ExAstris37]

@EvanLHarper

Unstable aircraft don't automatically lose control though, they just tend to have computer assisted controls to maintain stability at the edge of its flight envelope. When the aircraft is in the safer middle zones of its flight envelope however, even an unstable design can be controlled by a skilled pilot.

I'd rather have to fight the wobbling airframe home with a manual override (which this plane didn't have), than have the plane force out of control by computer error.

[drbackjack]

@EvanLHarper

Certainly not unstable in the thrust axis.

[DominicMetal1979]

@EvanLHarper Hold on a minute. No one is saying there should be "manual control," as if the pilot is going to continue to execute maneuvers with the computer off. What we're saying is that, in situations like this, there should be SOME way to put control back in the hands of a human, so it can be carefully brought back to base. What kind of a system is so fail-proof that it outright prevents a human from taking control? Obviously not this one.

[strayjay]

he could have saved it if it had manual controls. IT didnt.

[McIntyreJack]

Of course it has manual controls, but the whole idea of the plane is that its based upon thrust vectoring and control surfaces working together, no pilot could fly it without the computer aids, the tiny constant adjustments alone would most likely be too much.

[Dutchdragonblade]

I think you're right: because the plane has tiny wings even a slightest adjustment will immeadetly lead to a stall or ´death spin´ if all computer in the plane are turned off 0.o

[Skybolter]

WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED UPTHERE ?

[b101aa2]

this is undoubtedly the most advanced "known" aircraft to ever fly. the f-22, f-35, su-37, burket, rafael, euro fighter, etc etc all have much less performance aspects as this. and i say known, because if this known, think about the crazy classified things the u.s. air force is doing out in the middle of the desert...

[immortal4942]

this aircraft was way more advanced than the x-35 or the f-35 jsf. too bad it didnt make it.

[Spetsnazovets]

It died not long before the SU-37. Cept the Su-37 was demodified into a much lower spec when it crashed. Sad to see great machines crash. At least when they crash they die young and happy and not get put into storage and then cut apart. When they are cut up it feels like its been told: Thank you for your service, time for you to die.

[usafisasome]

hell yeah

[thecolorunknown]

Crash or no crash, still one of the best planes ever. Weird to think that after all the war, the US and Germany can work together to build this thing. Pretty cool.

Greetings from the USA.

[strongxforce]

aww man u always put a manual override in these things.... duhhhhhh

[Spetsnazovets]

Yeah problem these days is that Fly-By-Wire is Full-Authority. F-22, Flanker-series, Rafale, Gripen and EFA all have it. Even F-16 is Full-Authority fly-by-wire.

[borshn]

Man that smoke from the explosion is really black!

[CAPTJACKAUBREY69]

Sure is, too bad obama isn't.

[BlackMetalSofJak]

This is a scary thought now, a computer...an aircraft computer overrides manual input and flies itself using incorrect stats. I love A.I. but there is no artificial replacement for humans.

[JPHLIPERS]

You got to love the new AI.

[tnc420sucks]

I wonder why they never incorporated a parachute recovery system for this aircraft. A couple hundred pounds of equipment could have possibly saved a multimillion dollar test platform.

[yazuak]

They didn't feel like it.

[noximputesta]

BAHHH HA HA HA HA.

Try 8 tons man. If you were to put a parachute on that, the initial flow of air from the velocity its traveling downward in combination of 8 tons pulling at god know what speed would just tear a hole right through the chute.

[tnc420sucks]

I didn't say the X-31 weighed a couple of hundred pounds, I said "A couple hundred pounds of equipment could have possibly saved..." Furthermore, the aircraft weighs just under 7 tons, not 8. Lastly, it would be very easy to have a system with multiple chutes. A pilot chute could be deployed to stabilize and slow down the craft, followed by the main canopy. Or if that's still too much force, they could use 3 smaller canopies instead of 1.  That's what they did for the Apollo missions.

[tnc420sucks]

I almost forgot to say, you are one stupid motherfucker.

...and here comes the pissing contest; because everytime I talk with a dumb shits like yourself on YouTube, they always keep replying with random bullshit hoping I will give up, which I never do.

[mszs]

It probably was the newly hired trainee that they let to do the job!

Haha!

[lkjkorn19]

Wow, this is impressive! I didn't know technology was already this advanced in 1995, this seemed to be an amazing plane - I wouldn't have been sure if anyone had been able to do such maneuvers even now in 2009.

I'm glad the pilot was OK. That's great.

[Atomicskull]

F-22 raptor has vectored thrust.

[borshn]

i know right!? i never thought they'd have such technology in 1995, thats something i wouldn't have thought they'd have until like 2015 or so.

[xXxALAMTINAJEROxXx]

i love that airplane!or super jet!i was inpressed wen it said it could stop,hover,and move in a other dirrection besides the piont of the nose!i have never heard a jet do that!if i was him ill try saving the beauty!

[Kytescall]

A pilot with a dry sense of humor! I think I might like the guy.

They obviously got something wrong in this documentary though. The X-31 isn't a fighter jet.

[tnc420sucks]

I like that too. When he got back to the ground he probably would have said "Who disconnected the probe heater? You're buying all our drinks tonight."

[Kytescall]

Haha yeah.

Have you seen the video of the 1993 MiG-29 collision during a British airshow? The first thing the pilots do after they drift down in their parachutes is walk over to each other to have a smoke!

[tnc420sucks]

Hahaha, have I? That was the second or third video I watched after this one. It's like Travis Pastrana after crashing a rally car watch?v=0Js_BYaU80w

[faxepl]

That's one smart airplane! It was trying to save itself from crash (:

[hrthrhs]

Doesn't the F-22 have thrust vectoring?

[spost1986]

Yes it does but the X-31's boom would basically "predict" ways to keep the aircraft stable. If you look at the X-31, you see it has elevators on the front (called canards). With those, you increase maneuverability but the aircraft is unstable and you need a computer to help control it. The F-22 doesn't have canards so it's not dependent on a computer for stability. It still uses a computer but it can be overridden. The X-31 could not be overridden - they didn't include that feature..

[ImYourRealDad]

The F-22 does need a computer for stability. Hence why the F-22's design is inherently "unstable". Your thinking about the SU-27 which you could over-ride the AoA pitch limiter and hence the cobra maneuver. The fact that the F-22 and other thrust vectoring aircraft can preform these maneuvers is cause the fly-by-wire controls have been altered to incorperate these maneuvers in such an tight flight envelope.

[spost1986]

I wasn't sure about the F-22. Since it's a conventional aircraft with a low-tail config., I had given it the benefit of the doubt (especially since I didn't know how its loading is distributed). But I do know that any aircraft with canards is unstable (there's no downward moment at the aft of the aircraft to balance it out).

[jonesy97]

Wow, that 180 deg. turn is just mind blowing. Some serious g's for the pilot, too, I bet.

[Dodo251]

What about that vertical hovering? O_o That's some crazy shit.

[ForceFeedback]

The comments on Destroyed in Seconds are bogus, don't believe them. Like they said the pilot of the Gripen that crashed on the runway 'only sustained minor injuries', well, he lost 80% of his blood and was in hospital for a very long time. Nearly died=minor injuries ????

[LuyenDarkness]

Minor injuries = Broken/fractured bones, non-life threatening stuff. But yeah I gotta agree with you on that one mate.

[LuyenDarkness]

Some planes can already pull that shit off, This plane perfects and puts all those movements into one plane.

[LeLeMooD]

Already? This was done in 1995 mate...

[shrien3]

Wow. Man, when it was coming down, i felt so bad for the plane. I know the pilot had to eject because he might have died, but why had he not taken manual control of the plane?

[Spadadiforza]

I believe that if the X31 went into production, the US probably would have done the same with a manual override.

[alexx86hater]

That's why ALL modern Russian fighters has manual override.

You cannot fully rely on computer, especially in extreme situations.

[LuyenDarkness]

Problem is that plane does have manual override. He panicked and bailed out.

[Rexpilot0990]

He didn't panic. He rode the sucker for a few seconds trying to recover the aircraft with no results. Since the pilot values his life, he ejected realizing there was no hope in a FBW plane with a frozen pitot tube.

[LuyenDarkness]

He did panic. That plane had a manual override so he can fly the plane with the computer partially disabled. Panic nulls human thoughts, so he found ejecting was the best choice at the time.

[forestskog]

Gee thanks for the input Luyen AKA superman. I'm sure you would have calmly assesed the situation, flipped over to manual, put the plane in vertical hovering mode, opened the hatch, climbed up to the front of the plane, re-connected the rod, strolled back into the cockpit, flipped around and landed the plane on a dime. Gee if only you had been the pilot that day. Man!

[LuyenDarkness]

hey, I'm not blaming anything on the pilot. He did what he felt he had to do, w/e. I'm not talking shit about the pilot.

[WC3POchannel10A]

Uh, yes you are. I was there at Dryden when it happened and working with the program. You were what, three years old? The German pilot did not panic. He was an excellent pilot. He was lucky with his injuries as he was at a pretty low alt. to be ejecting and then doing it horizontally out of the aircraft at that. The aircraft landed near the house of a friend of mine and parts of the cockpit instrument panel landed in her front yard.

[Rexpilot0990]

His pitot tube was frozen, and due to the nature of the plane, he realized that manual overriding and trying to fly the thing manually would basically be suicide. So as a result of this realization, he bailed.

[NICCIPRIANI]

Not panicked...took his only option to survive!

[xxdarkness666xx48]

:W I LOVE THIS PLANNNEEE