I was a night check AE FC/TS in VS-22, and I watched the whole thing develop while installing a lighting control panel in an S-3B cockpit behind the Island. The Air Boss kept telling Paddles "No chance". The Arresting Gear Officer gave the clear deck call. The S-3 turned to taxi out of the landing area but could not because of launches on Cat 1 and 2. You can see the Meatball light up right as the EA-6B is about to cross the Fan Tail threshold. Way too late!
I was just thinking about all of the friends I lost while in the Navy. I was an aircrewman on ES-3A's and EP-3E's in VQ-6 and VQ2. I was on a hose team that night. It was so intense. Man we lost so many people on that cruise. The F-18 crash in Fallon, the girl who jumped overboard the day we friggin left for cuise then the crew of this EA-6B... I'll never forget that night..never.. Sorry, just feeling a bit overwhelmed thinking about all this stuff. Have a good Veteran's Day tomorrow you guys.
I don't get why or how.... I mean.. if they knew an aircraft was still in the landing area why would they not wave the other guy off when he called the ball?
There is no excuse for this. I dont know deck ops but I did crew Hawks in the Army to a tune of 1,500 plus flight hours. I think there was a giant communication gap.
It's impossible to tell whats happening in this video. We clearly see two planes land, beyond that, nothing except a flash of light. Obviously he hit something, but what? How could all those people not have prevented that? I tell you though, if the guy in charge was watching the deck through the same camera that took this video, there's no way he could see that the deck was fouled.
@JetMechMA The flashing F on the camera indicates foul deck which should tell any number of people with the specific responsibility not to let an aircraft land. Inexcusable accident!
@nocalsteve For GOD sake....how many people on frequency can see that flashing "F" ? WHY in GOD's name isn't the "Ball" interfaced with the flashing F???? That flashing F should cause a big giant Red X to be visible to approaching planes.
This was at the beginning of deployment, I fought that fire. Scariest thing you'll ever see. The Boss and Mini were not fired, they both finished the deployment.
Incompetence is right! I am a retired EA-6B ECMO. The pilot of the EA-6B that crashed was a former A-6E pilot who transitioned to EA-6Bs. He and I deployed in the same airwing (CVW-3, USS John F Kennedy) for Desert Storm. He was a friend. I last saw him right before he left for this underway period. He left a wife a three little children behind. The Air Boss and Mini Boss were both fired and lots of people's careers ended over this one. God Bless You Gumby, you won't be forgotten. Toast sends.
Unforgivable incompetence on the part of the LSO..and Pri-Fly.
What the hell were they thinking?
This is something that just can't happen, but it did.
Unimaginable incompetence.
I was 3 yrs on the flight deck of the old Bon Homme Richard (CVA 31) and I have seen my share of fuckups (cold cat shots, sidewinders off the elevator, A1 prop rash, F8 gear separations, fires, floods and famines, etc) but this is beyond belief.
man its still sad seeing this when i was in ABE A-School teachers showed us this when i was there in Sept05. one of the instructors said he was there. and after spending 5 years on the deck of the Reagan GEAR DOG.i was so glad i never saw this happen. have seen my share of blown tires and mavricks go sliding down the deck tho.......
I was a Cpl. with VMFA-312 / CVW-3 on board the Enterprise that night. I was just coming off the "six-pack" heading for the ladderwell when this happened. I just remember hearing the explosion and seeing the S-3 spin into an F/A-18 of, I think, VFA-105 parked not 10 feet from where I had just been standing.
I remember this night perfectly, was on board the USS Eisnenhower over in the indian Ocean, the Enterprise was coming to relieve us..this accident happened their first night at sea on the beginning of a 6 month deployment
@Tony1978c - Remember how we just secured from a GQ drill? And then they called Man Overboard and less than ten seconds later they called GQ again? I had two different GQ and MO stations and I was trying to figure out which one to go to and they clarified that the GQ was for the flight deck and everyone else needed to go to their MO station?
@avionicswirenut EXACTLY!!! There were several people who should have shouldered the blame for this mishap. Instead, The Navy blamed it on the Marine LSO...who was also the most junior on the platform that night. It ruined the career of, in my opinion, the best officer I ever had the privilege of working for in my 15 years in the military.
@Gwmcmi02 From the link in the info: four lost. The two Viking crew ejected and were recovered, one of them surprisingly in the carrier's antenna array. The Prowler crew didn't make it... lost all four. no major injuriies to the deck crew.
The "F" keeps blinking all the time. Doesn't that mean that for the whoel minute after the Viking touched down it was a foul deck? How can they permit a landing on a foul deck?
wtf, how could something like this happen. I also noticed the second plane tried to lift the nose up for a go.. is it like the pilot saw the second plane from the windshield .. also how could he approach with a high rate of altitude loss ?? WHAT !! I still have tons of questions about this incident !!
@gtc1961 ...I know this. I am a retired ABH(flight deck yellow shirt) who just happened to be on the E when this happened. That little "f" flashing on the Plat screen doesnt mean diddly unless either the LSO's or the Air Boss intitiates the WaveOff lights on the meatball(Frensel Lens). Aircraft will continue approach unless waveoff is signaled.
@1eaglez Yeah, I worked on the flight deck too, on the Indy. That flashing "F" on the plat is connected to the foul deck lights on the fresnel indicator. When they turn off the fould deck indictors the F on the plat camera goes out. At least that's the way it's supposed to work. It helps in post crash investigations.
I was an F-14A Plane Captain with VF-213 onboard the USS AMERICA from '79-'81. I worked the flight deck the entire time we were actually deployed...much of the time on night check.
I saw three bad mishaps.
A 'blue shirt' was run over by an F-14 during workups in the Caribbean, (I had to clean up the port mainmount, wheel and tire afterward).
An F-14 from our sister squadron, VF-114, went out of control while taxiing to the 'six-pack', crashed into an S-3 and came to rest in the starboard catwalk...just above our line shack on the 03 level forward of L-1.
The crew ejected cause they were sure the plane was going over the side and the canopy damn near killed my second mech.
This all happened so close to me I could have touched the F-14 (if I wasn't running for the fire hoses).
The last one was a night trap where an A-7 crashed in the port catwalk and exploded. We spent about five long minutes cooling down the (empty) drop tanks so they wouldn't cook off while another crew fought the main blaze.
But when the magnesium wheels caught fire and started burning through the flight deck the Air Boss ordered the crash and salvage crew to push the whole mess overboard. (The pilot safely exited the plane from the starboard side.)
The LSOs didn't know the deck was fowl and the air boss didn't communicate a wave-off to the LSOs or the the prowler in time for the pilot of the prowler to pull up clear of the S-3.
We were being followed by a Russian trawler, so we had to till then. The Prowler was crushed in two. Only one body was recovered he was in the back of the Prowler. The reason for the body bag was he was cut in half. This happen the second night we were out to sea. We didn't fly again until we got to the Gulf (10 days) and launched Operation Desert Fox
No LSO lost their job. The Air Boss was never fired. Everything was swept underneath the rug. There were only 4 deaths (only the 4 that were in the Prowler). The pilot and the navigator in the S-3 ejected when the jet actually was hit. One ejected in the water and the other guy landed on the ISLAND (tower). The F/A-18 that was damaged was lifted off in Souda Bay, Greece, and the S-3 was dumped overboard in the MED after we cross the straits of Gilbratar.
@xTomcatsForeverVF84x Looks like the Pilots on the EA-6B tried to pull up.. prob thought they would clear the S-3...its only mili seconds in making a decision, too bad the crew didnt punch out
@Skybolter Not exactly. In Tenerife, a KLM jet doing an unauthorized takeoff collided with another taxiing on the same runway comming directly at it. The PanAm jet veered to the left just before impact. I know I'm being technical, but it's not "just like."
@Skybolter type in search, "KLM flight 4805 & Pan Am flight 1736 (crash of the century) 1-9"
It's kinda long, but a really well documented story that starts with the strangest of events; A bomb threat on an airport on a neighboring island sets all of this into motion. Check it out.
I just left vultures row as I knew a lot of people that worked in the island I was pulling temp duty for the master at arms I was normally assigned to V2.when this happened you see the flashing F meaning FOUL deck then 0:41 you see the WAVE OFF -W- flashing The Air boss waited too long to hit the override and the LSOs never waved him off they thought the S-3 was clear and never heard the Air Boss tel them to wave him off..the offical report is 600 pages long.available through the FOIA.
@myers027 I remember the pilot of the FA-18 that crashed in Fallon. His handle was "Bass". It's cool to see others here who were in the airwing and part of those workup cycles and deployment. I was friends with a bunch of dudes in helo squadron too.
I was there that night as well. I was attached to VFA-37 and a plane captain in training. We were refueling jets on the starboard side past the E-2s and S-3s. Loud boom, orange flash, my legs froze, I got pushed to help fight the fire by a senior chief.
@airdale144 WRONG I worked in the arresting gear I was their that night they were waiting for 2 late birds to get in the lineup for takeoff. I Had morgue duty that night and know more than I want to about what and who they found as I was on temp duty with the master at arms which means your still attached to your section but "filling in for another section"
@simking1 Ok I've since found out about the 5th loss, I was really unaware of that one, as for the reason the plane was still there I'm just repeating what I remember being mentioned by one of the S-3 crew, If I'm wrong it's from incorrect information
Their was no 5th loss only 4 how ever their was 2 body bags 1 half of a body in one the other bag had a flight helmet from some other crewmen with grey matter that's all we found that's why their were 2 bags airlifted out.
I was there for that one, Plane captain of 707 the S-3. I had just hit the rack as it happend and ended up helping with the aftermath. By the by only 4 died, both S-3 crew ejected and survived.
@airdale144 did the S-3 crew eject because they saw the f-18 coming in? What I mean is were people on the deck aware of the F-18 coming in? I imagine you could hear it.
@stevemartajordan it was and EA-6 inbound, the S-3 crew ejected after the hit, and as for hearing it; I can't think of a louder place to be, the combination of jet noise and the hearing protection you can't hear anything specific.
As an Ex-ABE onboard USS T, Roosevelt 03-07...If he would have played the clip a little bit longer, you would have seen the flight deck crews sweaping with the AQFFF!!!! They responded super fast!!! Im proud! As much training as we do, no flight deck crew should take longer than 15-20 seconds to respond!!! Isn't as easy as it looks! No off days out to sea, no sleep! Grind all Day!!!!!!!!! Hoo-Ya Navy!!!
Shit that was a year before i joined the Navy Vaw-126 Jesus same carrier they were on when i joined the command.
What noone could tell the deck was fouled i seen the waveoff but it was way to late yeah dom omg.
i worked on E2-C my last 10 years and got out in May last year 2009
sparrow that was prob some fuck of a LSO that had his head up his or there asses got to love JO's on the LSO platform well it dont get any more real than that guys thats for sure
The S-3 rolled to a stop at 1918:59 and the EA-6B collided at 1920:24 that is 85 seconds to get the S-3 off the angle deck or wave off the prowler. Someone should have been charged for manslaughter...six counts!
Hello i have some questions.1. Why it is possible that the Prowler has a green deck and is clear to landing?2. Why have the LSO not called Wave Off?This is really Horror!!!!
@Seasparrow25 ans #1 the deck was never green and #2 during that time the Air Boss was really stick with the LSO's so they were hesitant to do a wave off, but it is the Air Boss's ultimate responsibility.
I remember wathing this in my team trainer class in pensacola. ( flight deck fire fighting.I wasonboard the stennis in 2001 operation enduring freedom cruise and we lost a prowler, a tomcat's tailhook broke and 2 girls jumped off the fd
I still remember that night. I.C. Bradley on board from 1995 to 1999. Sad to remember. But great to hear from some of the guys and gals off of the Big E. Gods Love.
Can't blame the yellow Jackets... If the CAG, LSO and Platform Operator paid attention the "F" or Foul Deck indicator was flashing the entire time. The paddles should have waved off the bird on 2000.
It;s great connecting with all you guys again. This is a shared experience that none of us will ever forget. Watching the video is terrible but being up there that night was...well..horror. I'll never forget it. I hope all of you are doing well. Take care.
You see boys and girls. this is what happens when you don't communicate with your co workers. always be alert and aware whats going on around you and COMMUNICATE!!!! stupid yellow jackets
I was there for sure..I helped pull Lt through the window up in the top of the island... AME 1 DUNCAN YOURE A BAD ASS.(.anyone on deck that night knows why....). Pearson, Jones,( Brenda) Miss you guys....
but was too low and too slow at the time of the wave off. The report said that the -6B impacted the S3 at the tail and port wing, sheering it's wings off and exloding from the combined ruptured fuel tanks. Nothing in there had any details about the deck crewman that was killed, other than there was one fatality to crew, no specifics.
Due to what you guys above said, I gotta figure that the Boss yelling for the wave off is what prompted the LSOs to hit the pickle.... if they didn't see the Hoover in the way before, they probably never did.
I got a copy of the accident report under the FOIA but it was heavily edited and nowhere in what I got did they say WHY it happened, only that the S3 was never taxied out and that they EA6B pancaked it. If you look at the video closely you see the Prowler pilot tried to avoid the crash
If I'm not mistaken, if you look at the bottom of the PLAT screen as the Prowler is nearing the ramp, you'll see a small "w" light up which I think would indicate when the LSO "pickled" the wave-off less than 3 seconds before touchdown and too late to actually wave-off. It's absolutely ridiculous that the aircraft was allowed to land on a foul deck. One of those WTF's!
I'll tell you what they were thinking, I was there that night. 1 of the yellow shirts thought he had permission to taxi a jet into the landing area and did so after the LSO's had stoped looking there and had given the landing jet an all clear. It was only at the last moment that 1 of them looked back, saw the very near shitstorm that was about to happen and hit the waveoff. Sadly the jet that was landing went off the front of the deck with all 4 inside. The one that was landed on, ejected.
Sorry Blueace12345 - but No! That's not what happened. Whether or not there was an aircraft on deck the Prowler should not have been allowed to land on a fouled deck. The LSOs should have waved the Prowler off - no matter what. It's like running a red light in your car, you can't land a plane unless the deck is "green." The PLAT clearly shows the deck never went green.
A yellowshirt did not taxi a plane into the landing zone, the Viking that landed had not yet gotten clear of the landing zone.
The deck was foul the WHOLE TIME as noted by the flashing F in the PLAT cam.
But it is common to continue approach with a foul deck because it will go green before you land, in this case it didnt and the Prowler should have gone around, by the time the LSO realized and waved off, it was too late.
Blueace12345 what are u smoking ..? our s3 had just landed...never left the landing area...Did you watch the video moron...? and u sure as hell werent there....
Part of the problem was with the design of the Enterprise. If a F-14 is on El 4 it blocks the view of the LSO platform from the forward part of the deck, thus taking away one more safety measure of checking the deck status. Not that it was the cause of the accident, because the deck should have never been green in the first place.
The deck wasn't green. It was a foul deck and, apparently, no one thought it might be important to let the approaching pilot know by waving him off. This is almost as dumb as those F-4's and F-8's that were launched with their wings still folded.
Our ordnance shop (VF-32) was on the starboard side, just aft of the island/bomb farm. I was part of our night shift and had just walked off the roof as the Viking landed. I had only stuck my head in our shop when I heard the air boss start to scream 'wave off'. We all saw the impact on the PLAT and immediately headed back to the roof to help fight the fires. I saw the S-3 crewman that cleared the island, fall silently into the cold, dark ocean.
I was up there too. This is the first time i've watched that video. That was horrible. I was on a hose team on the S-3. I was in VQ-6. That cruise felt cursed. We lost an F-14 and helo within 2 days at Fallon, NV. Then remember the girl who jumped overboard the 1st day...2 fires in female berthing..nuts
I remember the Air Boss SCREAMING wave off! I wont ever forget that...then the crash...everything. I dont think I ever dealt with that night. I'm having kind of a hard time with it right now. I remember the female aboard..her name was meridith...she was very cool
@harborareaparanormal 1 fire near the girls berthing almost lost the lot of them a lot of safety issiues in their and the other fire was in the incinerator room aft near sponson 5.
It can't unfortunately. That's why this happened. I was a flight deck crewman on board when this happened. It was a series of unfortunate gaps in communication. I didn't know any of the crew that were killed, and it was still a really sad time on board.
It's just infuriating to see such a tragedy that could've been avoided. Clearly the closed-circuit camera flashes a "F" as (0:05) as soon as the S3 lands and continued to flash FOUL DECK! I heard paddles communicating with the next aircraft to adjust power, as if there wasn't an aircraft prior to that one. What the heck happened to communications. Night ops are almost routine and this is a preventable mishap. Does anyone know what caused this lack of communication?
Love of God, they actually stack them like that at night? What were the circumstances before the incident? What was the incident conclusion afterwards?
i still and may never know why the viking was never moved out of the flightpath... all i know is the loud crash and roar of flames. im always looking for footage of this cruise if anyone out there has any.
The oddity of it all is that we were near, if not in the Bermuda triangle when this occurred. There is one mystery i cant quite figure out. 4 people died, 3 of which were never recovered,however during the ceremony we flew two body bags off the ship. there was a 5th body
The S-3(the first bird on deck) normally seats 4 however, there were only two that night and they both ejected in time. one was caught up in the super structure and knocked unconscious and the other was recovered from the ocean both viking crewmen lived
One of the S-3 pilots got his callsign from this incident or at least had it changed. It's "Swinger" now. This isn't trying to be funny, this was told to me by a current Navy pilot who also was able to tell me the exact sequence of events from the accident report.
I was in G-1 flight deck Ordnance, and if i remember correctly it was the pilot who ejected from the prowler and was cut in two..we lowered the remains down our weapons elevator. the three crewmen never ejected and the entire prowler went over the port side trapping the 3 crewmen inside at which the search was given up after 24 hours and they were never recovered. immediately after that we participated in operation desert fox
Any PR's in here or AME's? I thought the ejection sequences in military planes have the pilot eject last when they are in crew selection, reason being the pilot will/can try and keep the plane in the ejection envolope so everyone can get out "safe".
Please correct me if I'm wrong, I was only an AT.
AME from VS-22 here, I was about 30 yards away from the crash when it happened. The back seats go out first, followed by the front seats. I cannot remember the exact timing of the sequence as it has been almost 10 years since i was in the Navy, but the length of time for the entire ejection is so close that the pilot would not have time to react, much less do anything more than just hold on.
Yeah, I know that. I worked on the IE-1 ejection seats in that bird. The S-3B had command ejection seats in the front, meaning that by flipping a handle on the side of the seats, the pilot or co-pilot can eject the entire crew. In this case, the pilot and co-pilot both pulled, the co-pilot a fraction of a second before the pilot, due to the condition of the bulkhead. There was no one in the back, so one of the strapped seats came slamming down in the landing area.
I was there in M-Div when that happened.If I remember correctly, we had just finished a GQ drill about 10-20 minutes before this happened.I remember getting out the shower right as they almost simultaneously called Man Overboard and GQ.I didn't know where to go because I had two different stations for GQ and MO.Then they called GQ for flight deck only and MO for everyone else.We all wanted to go help but weren't allowed to, which makes sense now.I still feel sorrow for those pilots and families.
Hey there, I remember that night. It marked the rest ot the med-cruise being only the 2nd day into deploying. I was V3 for AIR back then. I think he remembers that night too that's why this video is here...
That was very chilling to watch. God bless those who perished and those who were injured.
I hope that this was taken overall as some sort of learning experience so that this never happens again. Still, these are the perils of carrier operations.
I'm confused as to how this happened....who's overall fault is this? Air Boss? Deck crew? LSOs? I find it hard pressed to blame the flight crews, the guys in the S-3 can't see behind them nor move till told to, the EA-6B guys really can't tell at night if someone's in front of them until too late (being that this was at night)
The primary responsibility was most likely the LSO, but the Air Boss, by virtue of his position, has ultimate responsibility. Basically, after the S-3 trapped, the deck is considered fouled and the failure of the LSO to wave off the EA-6 is the primary reason the crash occured. I don't remember what happened to either the LSO or Air Boss. Anyone else who was on that deployment know by any chance?
I just looked it up and the LSO DID declare a fouled deck and the EA-6B clipped the S-3 with it's wing as it attempted to go around. So it really wasn't anyone's fault except the EA-6B's pilot. I'm not being harsh, it's just fact that the crash was caused by pilot error. That doesn't change the fact that it was a tragedy that four naval aviators died that night.
LSOs don't "declare" the deck status. That is the job of the Arresting Gear Officer.
It was the LSO's responsibility to wave off the jet. The flashing "F" means the deck was foul - it was foul the whole time. The LSOs would have been looking at a red deck status light the whole time. LSO's have to wave off aircraft so they pass at least 100' over the highest obstacle in the landing area.
@bd1315 Right but Wrong Pri fly(arresting gear member he is enlisted) tells the airboss gear is ready airboss tells the LSOs gear is good its their show from that point.
@simking1 Um, you may have been there, but you don't know all. Gear is set in on the four gear engines and they each report "Gear set" on the 23JG. The gear guy in the tower reports that to the boss, the gear guy at the retract controls reports that to the AGO, and the gear guy on the LSO platform reports that to the LSO. The AGO needs two things to make the deck "Clear". 1. Gear set. 2. Nothing in LA. When he has that, he squeezes the dead man, and makes deck clear.
@bd1315 Im suprised i never saw this before, Im amazed that i doesent even look like it was close! I was in the Gear on the roosevelt in 99, worked lso platform, hookrunner, deckchecker, and i cant even imagine them directly hitting a plane sittin in the middle of the deck.... I stood behind the lso yelling into his ear as he was talking to the pilot, we were all watching the gear, and the deck.....incredibly long hours though....
First i can't believe this video is out here. I was there as part of supply. Anyone else notices how much time there was to prevent this? These guys who let this happened i hope they got Dishonorably discharge for their stupidity.
I was an AME with VS-22 on that deployment, and was standing on between El 1 and the LA when the crash happened. Our pilot (and squadron XO) ended up in the drink, and the copilot ended up hanging by his chute from the island. One of the back seats (which no one was in and were strapped) crashed back down on the landing area near wire 3. Only one body was recovered from the EA-6B. Both our crew suffered burns to their hands and faces.
Hey I was there too, G-1Flight Deck Ordnance! That was my first deployment. This is my first time after all these years of seeing the actual plat footage. Amazing.
I was on that deployment... November 1998 to May 1999. I was with the Marines, VMFA 312. Several pilots died that night... that was at the very beginning of the deployment. RIP.
@djck5 I was in 312 on that cruise as well. I'm Griff from Ordnance. Who are you? That was a very eventful cruise, CAG 3 lost an F-18 in Fallon, a F-14 during workup and a helo during vert-rep, in addition to the crash. Two major fires onbored (excluding the crash) Desert Fox and Kosovo, all in a 12 month period. whew, what a year!
How many people died there?
Bruchpilot1995 1 day ago
I was a night check AE FC/TS in VS-22, and I watched the whole thing develop while installing a lighting control panel in an S-3B cockpit behind the Island. The Air Boss kept telling Paddles "No chance". The Arresting Gear Officer gave the clear deck call. The S-3 turned to taxi out of the landing area but could not because of launches on Cat 1 and 2. You can see the Meatball light up right as the EA-6B is about to cross the Fan Tail threshold. Way too late!
bshack16801 2 days ago
Ouch.
FekLeyrTarg 2 weeks ago
One of the pilots in the S-3 was my XO on the USS Nimitz. Capt. "Lex" Luther.
noahtibbetts 2 months ago
I was in Air Department, V-2 Division, Waist Catapults. 93-99
noahtibbetts 2 months ago
I was just thinking about all of the friends I lost while in the Navy. I was an aircrewman on ES-3A's and EP-3E's in VQ-6 and VQ2. I was on a hose team that night. It was so intense. Man we lost so many people on that cruise. The F-18 crash in Fallon, the girl who jumped overboard the day we friggin left for cuise then the crew of this EA-6B... I'll never forget that night..never.. Sorry, just feeling a bit overwhelmed thinking about all this stuff. Have a good Veteran's Day tomorrow you guys.
harborareaparanormal 2 months ago 5
I don't get why or how.... I mean.. if they knew an aircraft was still in the landing area why would they not wave the other guy off when he called the ball?
Kopihucky 2 months ago
Why in the world didn't the AirBoss call a foul deck and wave that guy off?
rpsmith221 3 months ago
There is no excuse for this. I dont know deck ops but I did crew Hawks in the Army to a tune of 1,500 plus flight hours. I think there was a giant communication gap.
DobermansRock 3 months ago
@DobermansRock you think? someone got their ass chewed for sure..
n4sir804 3 months ago
@n4sir804 Chewed hell fired is more like it.
DobermansRock 3 months ago
@DobermansRock ahhaha ya that also
n4sir804 3 months ago
@n4sir804 Maybe even a few weeks mowing grass in formation at Levenworth.
DobermansRock 3 months ago
A major screw the pooch moment. Sad.
THEORIGINALEXSCAPER 3 months ago
how come the air boss didnt pickle the fouled deck button?
crotchboots 3 months ago
@crotchboots Doesn't the flashing "F" on the deck recovery TV indicate a 'Foul Deck"?
sakoshooter48 3 months ago
@sakoshooter48 Yes
EdgemanLL2 1 month ago
What were the LSO's doing ???
Postie218 4 months ago
If anyone was wondering, the first plane was an S-3 Viking
fiverats1 4 months ago
It's impossible to tell whats happening in this video. We clearly see two planes land, beyond that, nothing except a flash of light. Obviously he hit something, but what? How could all those people not have prevented that? I tell you though, if the guy in charge was watching the deck through the same camera that took this video, there's no way he could see that the deck was fouled.
JetMechMA 4 months ago
@JetMechMA The flashing F on the camera indicates foul deck which should tell any number of people with the specific responsibility not to let an aircraft land. Inexcusable accident!
nocalsteve 4 months ago
@nocalsteve For GOD sake....how many people on frequency can see that flashing "F" ? WHY in GOD's name isn't the "Ball" interfaced with the flashing F???? That flashing F should cause a big giant Red X to be visible to approaching planes.
Jesus H Christ !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
JetMechMA 4 months ago 6
@JetMechMA The God you curse...is real & alive, and He loves you no matter what.
ProChoiceJesus 3 months ago
@ProChoiceJesus Yeah, he loved this pilot....to death.
JetMechMA 3 months ago
This was at the beginning of deployment, I fought that fire. Scariest thing you'll ever see. The Boss and Mini were not fired, they both finished the deployment.
noahtibbetts 4 months ago 2
@noahtibbetts Were you in the airwing or ships company? I was in VQ-6....and yes, that was very scary and horrible
harborareaparanormal 2 months ago
Shocking!
Does the flashing "F" on the display mean Foul deck?
Mike/Liverpool
Megax1xr 4 months ago
Incompetence is right! I am a retired EA-6B ECMO. The pilot of the EA-6B that crashed was a former A-6E pilot who transitioned to EA-6Bs. He and I deployed in the same airwing (CVW-3, USS John F Kennedy) for Desert Storm. He was a friend. I last saw him right before he left for this underway period. He left a wife a three little children behind. The Air Boss and Mini Boss were both fired and lots of people's careers ended over this one. God Bless You Gumby, you won't be forgotten. Toast sends.
toastecmo 4 months ago 2
Unforgivable incompetence on the part of the LSO..and Pri-Fly.
What the hell were they thinking?
This is something that just can't happen, but it did.
Unimaginable incompetence.
I was 3 yrs on the flight deck of the old Bon Homme Richard (CVA 31) and I have seen my share of fuckups (cold cat shots, sidewinders off the elevator, A1 prop rash, F8 gear separations, fires, floods and famines, etc) but this is beyond belief.
I am seeing this for the first time.
I don't think I can watch it again.
hammerogod 4 months ago
I'll NEVER forget this night. I was onboard at the time. RIP shipmates.
exsquid22 4 months ago
@exsquid22 I remember this as well my husband was on board that night also very sad. Thank you for your service!
kickrocks123456 2 weeks ago
DAMN!!!
airdale001 4 months ago
man its still sad seeing this when i was in ABE A-School teachers showed us this when i was there in Sept05. one of the instructors said he was there. and after spending 5 years on the deck of the Reagan GEAR DOG.i was so glad i never saw this happen. have seen my share of blown tires and mavricks go sliding down the deck tho.......
idieasy 5 months ago
That reminds me to Tenerife 1977
Skybolter 5 months ago
I'm still baffled on how this happened. I mean I understand the LSO got the All Clear from the deck, but Foul deck was still showing up in the PLAT.
None of the other LSO's saw that the deck was still foul?
The Airboss, Mini Boss and nobody else saw this in the camera?
shakenama 5 months ago
@shakenama Go to the link in the details.
Robbob9933 5 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
Man, who let that happen?
killingamps 6 months ago
god i hated that night. i was waiting for that bird to land to put her to bed. VS-22 AO
pathann99 6 months ago
somebody just fell asleep or what? how in the blue hell could that happen
Spionsilver 6 months ago
I was a Cpl. with VMFA-312 / CVW-3 on board the Enterprise that night. I was just coming off the "six-pack" heading for the ladderwell when this happened. I just remember hearing the explosion and seeing the S-3 spin into an F/A-18 of, I think, VFA-105 parked not 10 feet from where I had just been standing.
MrBigFireDaddy 6 months ago
You're doing it wrong
TinnInches 6 months ago
I remember this night perfectly, was on board the USS Eisnenhower over in the indian Ocean, the Enterprise was coming to relieve us..this accident happened their first night at sea on the beginning of a 6 month deployment
Tony1978c 8 months ago 6
@Tony1978c - Remember how we just secured from a GQ drill? And then they called Man Overboard and less than ten seconds later they called GQ again? I had two different GQ and MO stations and I was trying to figure out which one to go to and they clarified that the GQ was for the flight deck and everyone else needed to go to their MO station?
themosh54 6 months ago 2
@Tony1978c Bad way to start a deployment. What happened to the LSO?
Ilicium 2 months ago
WTF was the deck boss doing......Foul deck, should have been a wave off.....
avionicswirenut 8 months ago 2
@avionicswirenut EXACTLY!!! There were several people who should have shouldered the blame for this mishap. Instead, The Navy blamed it on the Marine LSO...who was also the most junior on the platform that night. It ruined the career of, in my opinion, the best officer I ever had the privilege of working for in my 15 years in the military.
MrBigFireDaddy 6 months ago
I know this is dumb to ask, but what were the casualties of this incident?
Gwmcmi02 9 months ago
@Gwmcmi02 From the link in the info: four lost. The two Viking crew ejected and were recovered, one of them surprisingly in the carrier's antenna array. The Prowler crew didn't make it... lost all four. no major injuriies to the deck crew.
The "F" keeps blinking all the time. Doesn't that mean that for the whoel minute after the Viking touched down it was a foul deck? How can they permit a landing on a foul deck?
mkarnerfors 8 months ago 2
@mkarnerfors: So the A-6 Intruder crashed into the back or on top of the S-3 Viking?
GTMustangRider 6 months ago
@GTMustangRider - and EA-6B into a S-3. its is kinda the same plane but stretched.
idieasy 5 months ago
I guess this is why other navies don't operate at night? What a mess...
Ralroost 9 months ago
Um, did no one notice that the deck was still foul from the preceding S-3 trap?
CaesarInVa 9 months ago
@CaesarInVa The LSO got the all clear from the deck, by the time they realized the deck was fouled it was too late.
MrBigFireDaddy 6 months ago
Fire the Air Boss. This was UGLY!
lsharpe69 10 months ago
now I get it .. they're fighters ... but it is still crazy to watch
stilkus 10 months ago
wtf, how could something like this happen. I also noticed the second plane tried to lift the nose up for a go.. is it like the pilot saw the second plane from the windshield .. also how could he approach with a high rate of altitude loss ?? WHAT !! I still have tons of questions about this incident !!
stilkus 10 months ago
Wave Off not signaled until 1 second before over deck. Not enough time to act. And no...no one lost their job. But a couple people should have.
1eaglez 1 year ago
@1eaglez Not true....that little flashing "F" at the top of the video meant there was a foul deck and he shouldn't have landed.
gtc1961 1 year ago
@gtc1961 ...I know this. I am a retired ABH(flight deck yellow shirt) who just happened to be on the E when this happened. That little "f" flashing on the Plat screen doesnt mean diddly unless either the LSO's or the Air Boss intitiates the WaveOff lights on the meatball(Frensel Lens). Aircraft will continue approach unless waveoff is signaled.
1eaglez 1 year ago 2
@1eaglez Yeah, I worked on the flight deck too, on the Indy. That flashing "F" on the plat is connected to the foul deck lights on the fresnel indicator. When they turn off the fould deck indictors the F on the plat camera goes out. At least that's the way it's supposed to work. It helps in post crash investigations.
gtc1961 1 year ago
I was an F-14A Plane Captain with VF-213 onboard the USS AMERICA from '79-'81. I worked the flight deck the entire time we were actually deployed...much of the time on night check.
I saw three bad mishaps.
A 'blue shirt' was run over by an F-14 during workups in the Caribbean, (I had to clean up the port mainmount, wheel and tire afterward).
ironhorzmn 1 year ago
An F-14 from our sister squadron, VF-114, went out of control while taxiing to the 'six-pack', crashed into an S-3 and came to rest in the starboard catwalk...just above our line shack on the 03 level forward of L-1.
The crew ejected cause they were sure the plane was going over the side and the canopy damn near killed my second mech.
This all happened so close to me I could have touched the F-14 (if I wasn't running for the fire hoses).
ironhorzmn 1 year ago
The last one was a night trap where an A-7 crashed in the port catwalk and exploded. We spent about five long minutes cooling down the (empty) drop tanks so they wouldn't cook off while another crew fought the main blaze.
But when the magnesium wheels caught fire and started burning through the flight deck the Air Boss ordered the crash and salvage crew to push the whole mess overboard. (The pilot safely exited the plane from the starboard side.)
A very intense and interesting period.
ironhorzmn 1 year ago
I am a little late in making a comment, and I am a lowly rotorhead and noticed the "F" on the PLAT. How the heck did this actually happen!!!!
B1900pilot 1 year ago
I'll bet the CO, XO, Air Boss and Flag are the new night shift at Denny's in Minot, ND.
ironhorzmn 1 year ago
@ironhorzmn no, the spot was taken by the vatican's public affairs team.
your guys can be found at smith & woolsom fisheries ltd, point barrow AK.
ask for the janitor's office.
jetaddicted 1 year ago 2
@jetaddicted Ouch.
ironhorzmn 1 year ago
Comment removed
msholly63 1 year ago
summary of the accident report:
The LSOs didn't know the deck was fowl and the air boss didn't communicate a wave-off to the LSOs or the the prowler in time for the pilot of the prowler to pull up clear of the S-3.
skipplet 1 year ago
Who the fuck gave the okay for the trap with a foul deck?? fuck looks like all crew on board died on that one plus a few on deck
bluesuit5 1 year ago
I will forever miss my friend, Meredith Loughran.
aameeting4u 1 year ago
The flashing F on the screen means that the deck was foul. Who was the idiot that let this happen?
nosaltadded 1 year ago
We were being followed by a Russian trawler, so we had to till then. The Prowler was crushed in two. Only one body was recovered he was in the back of the Prowler. The reason for the body bag was he was cut in half. This happen the second night we were out to sea. We didn't fly again until we got to the Gulf (10 days) and launched Operation Desert Fox
mike35471978 1 year ago 2
No LSO lost their job. The Air Boss was never fired. Everything was swept underneath the rug. There were only 4 deaths (only the 4 that were in the Prowler). The pilot and the navigator in the S-3 ejected when the jet actually was hit. One ejected in the water and the other guy landed on the ISLAND (tower). The F/A-18 that was damaged was lifted off in Souda Bay, Greece, and the S-3 was dumped overboard in the MED after we cross the straits of Gilbratar.
mike35471978 1 year ago
Wow, the LSO's probably got chewed out, I wonder how the Prowler pilots didn't see the Viking??
xTomcatsForeverVF84x 1 year ago
@xTomcatsForeverVF84x Looks like the Pilots on the EA-6B tried to pull up.. prob thought they would clear the S-3...its only mili seconds in making a decision, too bad the crew didnt punch out
bluesuit5 1 year ago
the EA-6 Prowler crew died and the S-3 Viking crew survived
flightplayer 1 year ago
this is what happens when the timing on an aircraft carrier recieving aircraft gets put of whack
tigermki 1 year ago
The EA-6B Prowler hits a S-3 viking just like tenerife 1977
Skybolter 1 year ago
@Skybolter Not exactly. In Tenerife, a KLM jet doing an unauthorized takeoff collided with another taxiing on the same runway comming directly at it. The PanAm jet veered to the left just before impact. I know I'm being technical, but it's not "just like."
jonesy97 1 year ago
Are you kidding ? i dont'' believe that one
Skybolter 1 year ago
@Skybolter type in search, "KLM flight 4805 & Pan Am flight 1736 (crash of the century) 1-9"
It's kinda long, but a really well documented story that starts with the strangest of events; A bomb threat on an airport on a neighboring island sets all of this into motion. Check it out.
jonesy97 1 year ago
I just left vultures row as I knew a lot of people that worked in the island I was pulling temp duty for the master at arms I was normally assigned to V2.when this happened you see the flashing F meaning FOUL deck then 0:41 you see the WAVE OFF -W- flashing The Air boss waited too long to hit the override and the LSOs never waved him off they thought the S-3 was clear and never heard the Air Boss tel them to wave him off..the offical report is 600 pages long.available through the FOIA.
simking1 1 year ago
I Miss you Kurt - You were an AWESOME friend... PEACE!
SushiXTREME 1 year ago
I'm still kinda shook about it.
FashienableChannel 1 year ago
@myers027 I remember the pilot of the FA-18 that crashed in Fallon. His handle was "Bass". It's cool to see others here who were in the airwing and part of those workup cycles and deployment. I was friends with a bunch of dudes in helo squadron too.
FashienableChannel 1 year ago
I was there that night as well. I was attached to VFA-37 and a plane captain in training. We were refueling jets on the starboard side past the E-2s and S-3s. Loud boom, orange flash, my legs froze, I got pushed to help fight the fire by a senior chief.
FashienableChannel 1 year ago 2
And and for all you who keep wondering the S-3 was still in the Landing area because the wire was hung up on the arresting hook for some reason.
airdale144 1 year ago
@airdale144 WRONG I worked in the arresting gear I was their that night they were waiting for 2 late birds to get in the lineup for takeoff. I Had morgue duty that night and know more than I want to about what and who they found as I was on temp duty with the master at arms which means your still attached to your section but "filling in for another section"
simking1 1 year ago 2
@simking1 Ok I've since found out about the 5th loss, I was really unaware of that one, as for the reason the plane was still there I'm just repeating what I remember being mentioned by one of the S-3 crew, If I'm wrong it's from incorrect information
airdale144 1 year ago
@airdale144
Their was no 5th loss only 4 how ever their was 2 body bags 1 half of a body in one the other bag had a flight helmet from some other crewmen with grey matter that's all we found that's why their were 2 bags airlifted out.
simking1 1 year ago
I was there for that one, Plane captain of 707 the S-3. I had just hit the rack as it happend and ended up helping with the aftermath. By the by only 4 died, both S-3 crew ejected and survived.
airdale144 1 year ago
@airdale144 did the S-3 crew eject because they saw the f-18 coming in? What I mean is were people on the deck aware of the F-18 coming in? I imagine you could hear it.
stevemartajordan 1 year ago
@stevemartajordan i think i may be mixed up with the planes....what plane was on the carrier and what plane was landing?
stevemartajordan 1 year ago
@stevemartajordan it was and EA-6 inbound, the S-3 crew ejected after the hit, and as for hearing it; I can't think of a louder place to be, the combination of jet noise and the hearing protection you can't hear anything specific.
airdale144 1 year ago
As an Ex-ABE onboard USS T, Roosevelt 03-07...If he would have played the clip a little bit longer, you would have seen the flight deck crews sweaping with the AQFFF!!!! They responded super fast!!! Im proud! As much training as we do, no flight deck crew should take longer than 15-20 seconds to respond!!! Isn't as easy as it looks! No off days out to sea, no sleep! Grind all Day!!!!!!!!! Hoo-Ya Navy!!!
KleanKut03 1 year ago
Shit that was a year before i joined the Navy Vaw-126 Jesus same carrier they were on when i joined the command.
What noone could tell the deck was fouled i seen the waveoff but it was way to late yeah dom omg.
i worked on E2-C my last 10 years and got out in May last year 2009
sparrow that was prob some fuck of a LSO that had his head up his or there asses got to love JO's on the LSO platform well it dont get any more real than that guys thats for sure
shavemeface 2 years ago
Flashbacks.
sundaypunchr 2 years ago
The S-3 rolled to a stop at 1918:59 and the EA-6B collided at 1920:24 that is 85 seconds to get the S-3 off the angle deck or wave off the prowler. Someone should have been charged for manslaughter...six counts!
donzx10 2 years ago
OH MY GOD!! I hope it never ever happen anywhere again! It was so bad! very bad!!!
shervinrrr 2 years ago
Hello i have some questions.1. Why it is possible that the Prowler has a green deck and is clear to landing?2. Why have the LSO not called Wave Off?This is really Horror!!!!
Seasparrow25 2 years ago
@Seasparrow25 ans #1 the deck was never green and #2 during that time the Air Boss was really stick with the LSO's so they were hesitant to do a wave off, but it is the Air Boss's ultimate responsibility.
mike35471978 1 year ago
I remember wathing this in my team trainer class in pensacola. ( flight deck fire fighting.I wasonboard the stennis in 2001 operation enduring freedom cruise and we lost a prowler, a tomcat's tailhook broke and 2 girls jumped off the fd
EJQJ99 2 years ago
I still remember that night. I.C. Bradley on board from 1995 to 1999. Sad to remember. But great to hear from some of the guys and gals off of the Big E. Gods Love.
binkybear535i 2 years ago
Yea I still cross a thought or two on that night.. Airman Saddler, Gear Dawg..
mmnylons12 2 years ago
why didn't he tell the pilot to wave off?
trechan 2 years ago
Can't blame the yellow Jackets... If the CAG, LSO and Platform Operator paid attention the "F" or Foul Deck indicator was flashing the entire time. The paddles should have waved off the bird on 2000.
IanBaello 2 years ago
It;s great connecting with all you guys again. This is a shared experience that none of us will ever forget. Watching the video is terrible but being up there that night was...well..horror. I'll never forget it. I hope all of you are doing well. Take care.
harborareaparanormal 2 years ago
hard to see exactly when the mishap happen but was the hoover was still sitting there ?
cypris2002 2 years ago
You see boys and girls. this is what happens when you don't communicate with your co workers. always be alert and aware whats going on around you and COMMUNICATE!!!! stupid yellow jackets
307OLDS 2 years ago
I was there for sure..I helped pull Lt through the window up in the top of the island... AME 1 DUNCAN YOURE A BAD ASS.(.anyone on deck that night knows why....). Pearson, Jones,( Brenda) Miss you guys....
myers027 2 years ago
Holy shit, the island??? I really don't want to ask how he got up there but I guess it's apparent how.
307OLDS 2 years ago
but was too low and too slow at the time of the wave off. The report said that the -6B impacted the S3 at the tail and port wing, sheering it's wings off and exloding from the combined ruptured fuel tanks. Nothing in there had any details about the deck crewman that was killed, other than there was one fatality to crew, no specifics.
superzig311 2 years ago
Due to what you guys above said, I gotta figure that the Boss yelling for the wave off is what prompted the LSOs to hit the pickle.... if they didn't see the Hoover in the way before, they probably never did.
I got a copy of the accident report under the FOIA but it was heavily edited and nowhere in what I got did they say WHY it happened, only that the S3 was never taxied out and that they EA6B pancaked it. If you look at the video closely you see the Prowler pilot tried to avoid the crash
superzig311 2 years ago
I agree. I wonder why the pilot never heard the wave off... What the heck were the LSO's doing??
harborareaparanormal 2 years ago
If I'm not mistaken, if you look at the bottom of the PLAT screen as the Prowler is nearing the ramp, you'll see a small "w" light up which I think would indicate when the LSO "pickled" the wave-off less than 3 seconds before touchdown and too late to actually wave-off. It's absolutely ridiculous that the aircraft was allowed to land on a foul deck. One of those WTF's!
nocalsteve 2 years ago
I'll tell you what they were thinking, I was there that night. 1 of the yellow shirts thought he had permission to taxi a jet into the landing area and did so after the LSO's had stoped looking there and had given the landing jet an all clear. It was only at the last moment that 1 of them looked back, saw the very near shitstorm that was about to happen and hit the waveoff. Sadly the jet that was landing went off the front of the deck with all 4 inside. The one that was landed on, ejected.
Blueace12345 2 years ago
Sorry Blueace12345 - but No! That's not what happened. Whether or not there was an aircraft on deck the Prowler should not have been allowed to land on a fouled deck. The LSOs should have waved the Prowler off - no matter what. It's like running a red light in your car, you can't land a plane unless the deck is "green." The PLAT clearly shows the deck never went green.
nocalsteve 2 years ago
Nocalsteve is right. You are mistaken.
A yellowshirt did not taxi a plane into the landing zone, the Viking that landed had not yet gotten clear of the landing zone.
The deck was foul the WHOLE TIME as noted by the flashing F in the PLAT cam.
But it is common to continue approach with a foul deck because it will go green before you land, in this case it didnt and the Prowler should have gone around, by the time the LSO realized and waved off, it was too late.
Cg23sailor 2 years ago
Blueace12345 what are u smoking ..? our s3 had just landed...never left the landing area...Did you watch the video moron...? and u sure as hell werent there....
myers027 2 years ago
Part of the problem was with the design of the Enterprise. If a F-14 is on El 4 it blocks the view of the LSO platform from the forward part of the deck, thus taking away one more safety measure of checking the deck status. Not that it was the cause of the accident, because the deck should have never been green in the first place.
mahiandmargarita 2 years ago
The deck wasn't green. It was a foul deck and, apparently, no one thought it might be important to let the approaching pilot know by waving him off. This is almost as dumb as those F-4's and F-8's that were launched with their wings still folded.
nocalsteve 2 years ago
Our ordnance shop (VF-32) was on the starboard side, just aft of the island/bomb farm. I was part of our night shift and had just walked off the roof as the Viking landed. I had only stuck my head in our shop when I heard the air boss start to scream 'wave off'. We all saw the impact on the PLAT and immediately headed back to the roof to help fight the fires. I saw the S-3 crewman that cleared the island, fall silently into the cold, dark ocean.
MiLWauKeeTiN 2 years ago
I was up there too. This is the first time i've watched that video. That was horrible. I was on a hose team on the S-3. I was in VQ-6. That cruise felt cursed. We lost an F-14 and helo within 2 days at Fallon, NV. Then remember the girl who jumped overboard the 1st day...2 fires in female berthing..nuts
harborareaparanormal 2 years ago
I remember the Air Boss SCREAMING wave off! I wont ever forget that...then the crash...everything. I dont think I ever dealt with that night. I'm having kind of a hard time with it right now. I remember the female aboard..her name was meridith...she was very cool
harborareaparanormal 2 years ago
Ya PR from vs-22 here....Man your right it was cursed and Fallon was all kinds of fucked up we lost an f18 an f14 and the Helo from HS-7...
myers027 2 years ago
@harborareaparanormal 1 fire near the girls berthing almost lost the lot of them a lot of safety issiues in their and the other fire was in the incinerator room aft near sponson 5.
simking1 1 year ago
@simking1 ... I remember that. I was told in was a hair drier that did it. ha/ha
shillcw 1 year ago
Sorry, I don't understand. How can a plane land on a carrier when the deck isn't clear?
wherethebuckstops 2 years ago
It can't unfortunately. That's why this happened. I was a flight deck crewman on board when this happened. It was a series of unfortunate gaps in communication. I didn't know any of the crew that were killed, and it was still a really sad time on board.
billyd336 2 years ago
It's just infuriating to see such a tragedy that could've been avoided. Clearly the closed-circuit camera flashes a "F" as (0:05) as soon as the S3 lands and continued to flash FOUL DECK! I heard paddles communicating with the next aircraft to adjust power, as if there wasn't an aircraft prior to that one. What the heck happened to communications. Night ops are almost routine and this is a preventable mishap. Does anyone know what caused this lack of communication?
TrueCourse 2 years ago
r they ok?
ualien42 3 years ago
Love of God, they actually stack them like that at night? What were the circumstances before the incident? What was the incident conclusion afterwards?
SenorSpode 3 years ago
i still and may never know why the viking was never moved out of the flightpath... all i know is the loud crash and roar of flames. im always looking for footage of this cruise if anyone out there has any.
fluugenwaffles 3 years ago
I stood Water Control watch in Central Control for the first part of this cruise and was always watching the flight deck camera.
themosh54 3 years ago
Comment removed
themosh54 3 years ago
The oddity of it all is that we were near, if not in the Bermuda triangle when this occurred. There is one mystery i cant quite figure out. 4 people died, 3 of which were never recovered,however during the ceremony we flew two body bags off the ship. there was a 5th body
fluugenwaffles 3 years ago
Remember that one guy was cut in half...that's probably why. I knew one of the stretcher guys...he told me about the body's condition.
harborareaparanormal 2 years ago
@harborareaparanormal I helped put the bags in the reefer and stood watch that night you are correct sad night.
simking1 1 year ago
Comment removed
simking1 1 year ago
The S-3(the first bird on deck) normally seats 4 however, there were only two that night and they both ejected in time. one was caught up in the super structure and knocked unconscious and the other was recovered from the ocean both viking crewmen lived
fluugenwaffles 3 years ago
One of the S-3 pilots got his callsign from this incident or at least had it changed. It's "Swinger" now. This isn't trying to be funny, this was told to me by a current Navy pilot who also was able to tell me the exact sequence of events from the accident report.
themosh54 3 years ago
I was in G-1 flight deck Ordnance, and if i remember correctly it was the pilot who ejected from the prowler and was cut in two..we lowered the remains down our weapons elevator. the three crewmen never ejected and the entire prowler went over the port side trapping the 3 crewmen inside at which the search was given up after 24 hours and they were never recovered. immediately after that we participated in operation desert fox
fluugenwaffles 3 years ago
Any PR's in here or AME's? I thought the ejection sequences in military planes have the pilot eject last when they are in crew selection, reason being the pilot will/can try and keep the plane in the ejection envolope so everyone can get out "safe".
Please correct me if I'm wrong, I was only an AT.
superzig311 3 years ago
AME from VS-22 here, I was about 30 yards away from the crash when it happened. The back seats go out first, followed by the front seats. I cannot remember the exact timing of the sequence as it has been almost 10 years since i was in the Navy, but the length of time for the entire ejection is so close that the pilot would not have time to react, much less do anything more than just hold on.
mahiandmargarita 3 years ago
In fact, the co-pilot was the first to pull the ejection handle that time, and we could tell due to condition of the bulkhead behind the pilots seat.
mahiandmargarita 3 years ago
It's not that ther pilot ejects last to keep control of the aircraft for the others to eject.
it is the rear seats first followed by the forward seats.
This is so that the blast from the forward seats dont kill the guys in back
Cg23sailor 2 years ago
Yeah, I know that. I worked on the IE-1 ejection seats in that bird. The S-3B had command ejection seats in the front, meaning that by flipping a handle on the side of the seats, the pilot or co-pilot can eject the entire crew. In this case, the pilot and co-pilot both pulled, the co-pilot a fraction of a second before the pilot, due to the condition of the bulkhead. There was no one in the back, so one of the strapped seats came slamming down in the landing area.
mahiandmargarita 2 years ago
it wouldn't be classified, things like this are let out all the time.
The only body from the Prowler that was recovered was one of the backseaters. Nobody else's seats fired before the plane hit the water.
superzig311 3 years ago
I was there in M-Div when that happened.If I remember correctly, we had just finished a GQ drill about 10-20 minutes before this happened.I remember getting out the shower right as they almost simultaneously called Man Overboard and GQ.I didn't know where to go because I had two different stations for GQ and MO.Then they called GQ for flight deck only and MO for everyone else.We all wanted to go help but weren't allowed to, which makes sense now.I still feel sorrow for those pilots and families.
themosh54 3 years ago
Hey there, I remember that night. It marked the rest ot the med-cruise being only the 2nd day into deploying. I was V3 for AIR back then. I think he remembers that night too that's why this video is here...
jvc100 3 years ago
jvc100 I was in V3 as well. I am Perkins, Who are you???
rperkins92503 3 years ago
That was very chilling to watch. God bless those who perished and those who were injured.
I hope that this was taken overall as some sort of learning experience so that this never happens again. Still, these are the perils of carrier operations.
Amar7605 3 years ago
I'm confused as to how this happened....who's overall fault is this? Air Boss? Deck crew? LSOs? I find it hard pressed to blame the flight crews, the guys in the S-3 can't see behind them nor move till told to, the EA-6B guys really can't tell at night if someone's in front of them until too late (being that this was at night)
RIP and god bless to those who perished....
Jumpshot724 3 years ago
The primary responsibility was most likely the LSO, but the Air Boss, by virtue of his position, has ultimate responsibility. Basically, after the S-3 trapped, the deck is considered fouled and the failure of the LSO to wave off the EA-6 is the primary reason the crash occured. I don't remember what happened to either the LSO or Air Boss. Anyone else who was on that deployment know by any chance?
themosh54 3 years ago
I just looked it up and the LSO DID declare a fouled deck and the EA-6B clipped the S-3 with it's wing as it attempted to go around. So it really wasn't anyone's fault except the EA-6B's pilot. I'm not being harsh, it's just fact that the crash was caused by pilot error. That doesn't change the fact that it was a tragedy that four naval aviators died that night.
themosh54 3 years ago
If you think that it was pilot error just proves you know nothing about nighttime flight-ops in the Navy.
mahiandmargarita 3 years ago
LSOs don't "declare" the deck status. That is the job of the Arresting Gear Officer.
It was the LSO's responsibility to wave off the jet. The flashing "F" means the deck was foul - it was foul the whole time. The LSOs would have been looking at a red deck status light the whole time. LSO's have to wave off aircraft so they pass at least 100' over the highest obstacle in the landing area.
bd1315 3 years ago
@bd1315 Right but Wrong Pri fly(arresting gear member he is enlisted) tells the airboss gear is ready airboss tells the LSOs gear is good its their show from that point.
simking1 1 year ago
@simking1 Um, you may have been there, but you don't know all. Gear is set in on the four gear engines and they each report "Gear set" on the 23JG. The gear guy in the tower reports that to the boss, the gear guy at the retract controls reports that to the AGO, and the gear guy on the LSO platform reports that to the LSO. The AGO needs two things to make the deck "Clear". 1. Gear set. 2. Nothing in LA. When he has that, he squeezes the dead man, and makes deck clear.
bd1315 1 year ago
@bd1315 Im suprised i never saw this before, Im amazed that i doesent even look like it was close! I was in the Gear on the roosevelt in 99, worked lso platform, hookrunner, deckchecker, and i cant even imagine them directly hitting a plane sittin in the middle of the deck.... I stood behind the lso yelling into his ear as he was talking to the pilot, we were all watching the gear, and the deck.....incredibly long hours though....
windman657 9 months ago
Comment removed
bd1315 1 year ago
First i can't believe this video is out here. I was there as part of supply. Anyone else notices how much time there was to prevent this? These guys who let this happened i hope they got Dishonorably discharge for their stupidity.
RIP VAQ 130 EA6B Crew.
elspeezy13 3 years ago
I was an AME with VS-22 on that deployment, and was standing on between El 1 and the LA when the crash happened. Our pilot (and squadron XO) ended up in the drink, and the copilot ended up hanging by his chute from the island. One of the back seats (which no one was in and were strapped) crashed back down on the landing area near wire 3. Only one body was recovered from the EA-6B. Both our crew suffered burns to their hands and faces.
mahiandmargarita 3 years ago
You were in Vs-22..huh..I was a friend of Wendy Potter's..That still makes me cry
harborareaparanormal 2 years ago
i herd the people that landed first ejected and one of the pilot's parachutes snagged on one the ship's antennas. lol seriously.
i think the guys in the a6 died from tumbling overboard.
Familyguy098 3 years ago
missed
leongreenmcclaine346 3 years ago
Hey I was there too, G-1Flight Deck Ordnance! That was my first deployment. This is my first time after all these years of seeing the actual plat footage. Amazing.
arm26ord 3 years ago 2
I was there too, G-1 Flightdeck Ordnance... nov 8 2008 marks ten years
fluugenwaffles 3 years ago 2
I was on that deployment... November 1998 to May 1999. I was with the Marines, VMFA 312. Several pilots died that night... that was at the very beginning of the deployment. RIP.
djck5 3 years ago 3
@djck5 I was in 312 on that cruise as well. I'm Griff from Ordnance. Who are you? That was a very eventful cruise, CAG 3 lost an F-18 in Fallon, a F-14 during workup and a helo during vert-rep, in addition to the crash. Two major fires onbored (excluding the crash) Desert Fox and Kosovo, all in a 12 month period. whew, what a year!
flyingman312 1 year ago
@flyingman312 The FA 18 pilot that was killed was ... LT Noland... from VFA 37. He was my Division officer and legal officer. AM1 Shillinglaw VFA-37
shillcw 1 year ago
@shillcw are you referreing to Bass? I remember him too, he crashed in Fallon.
FashienableChannel 1 year ago
@flyingman312 hey man, did you work with Nunez and Bobo?
FashienableChannel 1 year ago
@FashienableChannel
Ya I did... This is Shillinglaw from Corrosion!
shillcw 1 year ago