Video footage of moments before the Elmendorf C17 crash

[stedfasttrading]

I think he had too little airspeed and too sharp a bank angle. The plane was likley sliding at such a rate that airflow to the engines was interupted the rest is now sad History!

[crazyknight2008]

what was the pilot thinking !!! hes not a jet fighter pilot, hes in charge of frikken cargo plane !!!! idiot......

[GawdGood]

Wrong pilot for wrong jet.

[sasukeAMVcreator]

Sorry, but.... What the fuck?

[1996zeeshan]

his bank angles looked like to much, so the steep take-off contributed.it didn't cause accident, also if you look at the aileron movment he was being far to aggressive whith the controls

[maverickthebastard]

This is sad. Just another case of wave riders thinking that they are the wave makers. VNE also applies in gravity Vs lift scenario.

[Michael55443]

Is the actual impact on film or did it cut out before?

[F110mech]

@Michael55443 The full video shows the impact. This was the public release version. I'm sure the entire video will surface eventually.

[flowthrown89]

wth !! what a coincidence that someone was recording it.. i wonder if they record every military flight take offs or all of this was just a dumb demo gone wrong..

[Xrm150]

@flowthrown89 It was a practice for a airshow. So they knew they where going to push the limits of the aircraft. Visit my channel to see how this takeoff was to be performed.

[deluxer911]

i dont get it . What was this flight meant to do ? airshow or what ?

[DR4G0Ncub]

Isn't the U.S. Air Force supposed to be better trained than this?

[Snuggfit4u]

USA STANDS FOR USELESS SHIT AIRMAN

[nate7747]

@Snuggfit4u Couldnt get in huh?

[jorkusmalorkus]

fuck censorship

[uchilledfrance]

The blunder came at 0:42. His first turn was too steep but he got away with it. He wasn't lucky the second time around.

[MAmoviesRS]

how is something that massive able to fly?.. it blows my mind.

[SitocawithSorento]

@MAmoviesRS true that

[timstamtic]

@MAmoviesRS pshh, you should check out my jet. c5! makes that thing look tiny!!!

[amron2006]

I love going to air displays to see beautiful aircraft flown close, but safely, to the crowd. Several crashes have occurred because of pilot error. Any pilot who has a history of flying transgressions, as in the B52 crash, should not be allowed to even fly never mind display an aircraft.

[xMKIVxVR6x]

This idiot should have learned something from Bud Holland.

[skimyy]

Even if they were practicing for an air show, I think it's common sense that you don't fly a major Cargo plane like it's some agile fighter jet.

[datboysha40]

They banked it so hard right that the plane lost lift. This is a cargo plane, not a F-15 or F-22. Life lost because of pilot error.

[CardinalSinga]

Everything seemed normal until the last stalling and the plane sank to the ground. The pilot seemed to be testing the plant's stalling speed.

[aviatormxpilot]

@CardinalSinga You don't test stall speeds under 1000 feet! This guy was hot doggin it and paid the ultimate price.

[minoew5]

@aviatormxpilot Hotdoggin it was the point of this flight. He was practicing for the airshow that weekend. This was the practice for the C-17 demo. Pilot just miscalculated his speed going into that right turn.

[aviatormxpilot]

@minoew5... "miscalculated his speed" Duh. Practice or not, each aircraft has it's limit. This pilot pushed The

C-17 (I build in Long Beach, CA), and his luck too far.

[stephenpales]

Air shows should be about planes and equipment. How many lives and planes are lost because of "showing off?" Safety should be the number one element and risks should only be taken in the battlefield. The lives of the crew and the lives of the people on the ground are the MOST important. I don't need to be impressed by this kind of flying. It was a typical tip stall at too low of an altitude. It would have been recoverable if there was more altitude and speed involved. May God send peace to them!

[cantbsdave]

@stephenpales FINALLY! Someone said it... "Tip Stall" of that right wing caused this crash. Slow airspeed and not enough altitude to recover...

[SlamDuncDrummer]

This is a classic case of mental retardation. The pilot killed his/her crew by flying like a complete moron with complete lack of respect for safety of his/her crew.

The high performance take off is no big deal. Banking the plane that steep, that low and slow was the ticket to their demise.

The pilot stalled the aircraft flying it in to the ground. The pilot killed his/her crew.

[carby212]

@SlamDuncDrummer Have you ever flown a plane. You're probaly some little 10 year old who thinks tey know everything. This was for an air show and they were performing tricks but accidentally failed.

[SlamDuncDrummer]

@carby212

Ah yes, I fly a plane a few days a week. I own a Cessna 337 Skymaster and have about 1500 hours of total flight time. I am single engine, multi-engine, inline and instrument rated. I also have my sailplane certificate.

My flying is primarily business related to support my customer needs.

I stand by my comments and my comments are supported by the accident report.

[carby212]

@SlamDuncDrummer Good to know but flying a C-17 isn't easy a all.

[SlamDuncDrummer]

@carby212

If you are trained in the aircraft type and familiar with the cockpit, avionics and flight control systems, any plane can be flown competently and fairly easily. In fact, many of the more complex aircraft are specifically designed to make the plane more easy to fly due to task saturation.

One of the first things you learn when learning how to fly is stall recovery. The pilot simply did not follow proper stall recovery procedures once he had stalled the right wing.

[carby212]

@SlamDuncDrummer Yeah but saying they're mentally retarded isn't right.

[SlamDuncDrummer]

@carby212

Read the accident report. This pilot was completely irresponsible in his operation of this aircraft and others. The pilot had been warned numerous times about unsafe flying and had a history of disciplinary actions for this type of behavior.

If you want to fly like this on your own dime with no one else on board that is 100% your prerogative as long as you put no one on the ground in danger.

The fact that he killed his crew and destroyed taxpayer property is retarded.

[sirmycroft13]

Until the final bank it looked like standard Air Show type maneuvers - and with 4 working engines and no payload - within load limits of the air frame. I did find it strange that the pilot never tried level the plane off at all after the last bank but before the crash.

[darreno1450]

With all due respect to the pilots who may be reading, this maneuver at that low an altitude was nothing short of boneheaded and reckless. I don't give a rat's ass how good this guy was. He f$cked up plain and simple and unfortunately took some innocent souls with him.

[LOLMAN22]

It seems a lot of crashes are associated with air shows and air show training...I think the hype of showing off the aircraft capabilities or piloting skills gets the better of these pilots...anyone remember another similar crash? The pilot there also performed aggressive maneuvers before the plane crashed (same type of aircraft)

A sad loss for sure

[Bigfoot1955]

From my old flight engineer days 60 degree bank is typical maximum for heavy aircraft. Hard to see for sure from the angle of the shot but it looks like he exceeded that for sure on the last bank. It looks like he had enough speed and altitude to recover but may have become disoriented. It looks like he flew into the ground rather than stalled in. Disorientation and fixation will screw up your day.

[brettv8]

According to an article in Flight International magazine the pilot was so confident in his own abilities he knew his routine would trip the automated stall warning and briefed his crew to ignore them as inaccurate.

[ApexIXMR]

Were those maneuvers really called for?

[bronco8585]

@ 0:13 that has to be like 50 degrees pitch up!!!

[altazboy]

from the Bud Holland school of aviation.. mr hotshot bought it.. 

[hinodecho69]

Was the incident with Bud Holland and the B52 @ Fairchild in the early 1990's too distant in the past for anyone to remember what happens when you get a big multi-engined aircraft out of the performance envelope too close too the ground?

[coldmonkey2]

When I read comments about how it is a shitty video because there's no crash, I feel sick to my stomach, after hearing the tape and reading the crash report, knowing what happened in every detail, I'm sickened, even more so with absurd comments like 1rich12396able,

[sisko197]

I wish this didn't happen.... This plane is still one cool beast though. -3 military -3

[1rich12396able]

the air force keeps top secret stuff, but when letting the public know about the crash with the video and then not letting us to be able to see the crash....crashless video

[coldmonkey2]

@1rich12396able Maybe it's out of respect for the 4 people that lost their lives.

[spoorweg43]

The mishap occurred as the C-17 practiced for the Arctic Thunder Air Show scheduled for July 31 at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.

Flying looks simple, but is still an art. The pilot was practicing and was exploring the limits of his plain and the limits of weather conditions at critical maneuvers. Wind, speed and acceleration talk a different language when you take it to the extremes.

Respect to the pilots and his confident timed take off. Strength to all who has to cope with lost of live.

[ted3020]

Another Bud Holland. When will the Air Force get pilots who can do these maneuvers and not crash? Few people have seen B-52s refuel with KC-135s in 90 degree banks while doing lazy eights. They do it safely.

[SNOOZE3091]

In some way I feel like I'm responsible for this crash. I feel like I jinxed the crew. NO JOKE, the night before this happened I hung up a USAF plaque that was recognizing my dad's excellent service at Elmendorf AFB just before he was changing stations to Travis AFB. I hung it up on my wall right underneath 2 C-17 posters in my room. I felt sick to my stomach when I found out what happened the next day. This still makes me feel horrible.

[SNOOZE3091]

@SNOOZE3091 RIP SITKA 43, and God Bless!!

[liOVERLOADil]

@SNOOZE3091 Are you kidding me???

[SNOOZE3091]

@liOVERLOADil nope, it's a crazy coincidence that I wish never happened.

[Bobobidodo]

Damn Mr Pilot that isn't a eurofighter!

[AITDS]

why did this video end just when it started to become good?

[bronco8585]

@AITDS Because some people have respect.

[Nehbur]

Seems to me the pilot had either too much coffee or he's a is so bored with his work he needs to pull off ridicolous manouvres without any speed. Think my grandmom could've flown that plane better

[bronco8585]

@Nehbur Dude shutup. Nobody needs stupid comments like that. Have some respect.

[Nehbur]

@bronco8585 Sorry about that, when I read back my comment just now I find it stupid too.

[FrosChannel]

*seeing it go down* Ohhhh.... Shiiiiiitttttttttt...

[veetour]

To try that move you need to be tens of thousands of meters in the air, just in case it stalls and you have to recover.

[khisrow456]

thats why you dont bring shampoo on a plane!

[thatonebeone]

eject eject.!!!! so sad...

[Fearose]

just take more then 1 trip..

[da3coons]

did they lift off too fast? it looked like they needed more time to get more speed, he went straight up... im guessing it stalled and failed

[mistaxray]

@da3coons No that was not the problem. An empty C17 is able to take off like that without a problem. But later when the pilot did those turns he banked too hard which made the C17 to lose too much lift. The plane then stalled and crashed.

[da3coons]

@mistaxray oh.... how sad... i didn't know planes could take off like that and go straight up

[SNOOZE3091]

@da3coons Many heavy aircraft can't really take off like that without stalling, but the C-17 can. This is a tactical takeoff that they commit when under heavy fire and need to get airborne and out of gun range fast.

[bronco8585]

@da3coons Depends on how much speed and power you have available. Sometimes you can go STRAIGHT up, for longer than that!

[HigherPlanes]

@mistaxray He created the potential for the wreck. Shitty pilot trying to maneuver that aircraft as though it's an f-16.

[liOVERLOADil]

@mistaxray The pilot was putting the aircraft into angles it was never designed to be put into. The crew allowed him to do it, his bosses allowed him to do it -- they are ALL responsible. I watched this aircraft do these maneuvers days before the crash and thought to myself "This cannot be safe". I was right.

[RexTalon]

@mistaxray I'm a C-17 maintainer and a private pilot. That's exactly what happened. He banked too far, but he should have had time to correct the bank angle. He was being cocky. If you watch it to the very end it appears that he tried to correct the attitude of the aircraft far too late. He flew a cargo aircraft like you might fly a trainer or fighter and paid for it.

[bigj70634]

@mistaxray thought pilots would have learned from the b52 crash... just can't do these things in those planes.

[Planespotter11]

@da3coons You're wrong, this is a STOL aircraft. SHORT TAKEOFF AND LANDING is the meaning for STOL. C-17 is perfectly capable of doing this kind of takeoff without any trouble.

[da3coons]

@Planespotter11 I'm not wrong, I typed 'it looked'. maybe you should read better before it takes you an hour to think of something to say and then comment. hope you feel better.

[Planespotter11]

@da3coons It didn't stall. He simply banked too much maybe, and then he had not enough time and altitude to get back to positive attitude. I don't have to feel better or not, we are talking about planes and lift, if you are able to discuss that just be my guest, if not, try to learn something instead of taking an hour to say bullshit.

[Spravvl]

dead in one minute

[jonkol121]

remember kids, dont go on facebook while flying a plane!

[RetardPwnage]

This is what happens when Pilots try and use the keyboard.

[roguemale57]

They forgot one of the fundamental laws of flying- lift.

[StormyWeather21]

wow this is unfortunate. But wow those are some powerful engines on that machine. To be able to make such a large craft just hop of the ground that way and at such a steep climb, is truly amazing.

[Vik456]

@StormyWeather21 i was saying the same thing..

[SNOOZE3091]

@StormyWeather21 each of the four engines generate 40,000 pounds of thrust.

[TheBigBadBird]

spooky

[pruwdent]

@TheBigBadBird gremlins

[aviationwingnut]

I understand the USAF cutting the impact from the official release. The only reason I think that the similar crash of the B-52 years ago is posted all over, is because a news crew filmed it, I think. That B-52 pilot was also a Major and from what I'd read, was known as a "hot dog". VERY similar circumstances. Too low and too steep a turn. NO chance to recover that low when stalled. The 52 crash video shows them trying by the surface deflections but, they just ran out of room.

[drbumfish]

WTF stop cutting the last off >:(

[Soon2BAirman]

@drbumfish They did not show it due to respect to the family, show some respect.

[hkzhustler]

@Soon2BAirman So? why would the family want to see it all over again? lame vid.

[Soon2BAirman]

@hkzhustler It was released on the Elmendorf site and then leaked onto youtube. During Air Show Practices Public Affairs goes out and records it. It is not a video to show and if it makes a difference I am not some random person commenting who has no idea what he is talking about, I refuled this plane 2 HRs before this happened, I knew the crew, and the plane well. It is not an easy video to watch for me.

[riceski]

@Soon2BAirman Don't you think it was some kind of sabotage? Looks like a fight was going on in the cock pit for control of the plane. Some people commit suicide this way because their families get lot's of money - others like terrorist might have done this.

Either way I pray their family's Gods comfort at this time.

[liOVERLOADil]

@riceski That didn't happen.

[aviatormxpilot]

@Soon2BAirman I build the C-17 including this one... My heart in my throat I write this. R.I.P.

[kardz22]

@Soon2BAirman Dude you are so full of shit. If you are POL at elmendorf or some crewchief you didn't know the crew. At most you rub shoulders walking by as you get on/off the plane and MAYBE 1 of them if you were an FCC. Keep talking it up for attention.

[busog97641]

@drbumfish Yea, I thought I was going to see the dame thing go down!!!

[mike07gtcs]

@drbumfish yeah dude seriously get a life

[mistaxray]

May the crew of Sitka 43 rest in peace!

[fitzgerald1100]

@mistaxray  AMEN!!