Why the B-1 landed gear up...

[[email protected]]

9/18/2006 - LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. (AFPN) -- Pilot error caused a
B-1 Lancer to crash while landing on the runway at a forward-deployed
location May 8, 2006, according to an aircraft accident investigation report
released here Sept. 18. The co-pilot suffered a minor back injury and the
other three crew members were not injured. Damage totaled approximately
$7.9 million for the aircraft and the damage to the runway totaled
approximately $14,025. The aircraft is assigned to the 9th Expeditionary
Bomb Squadron of the 7th Bomb Wing at Dyess AFB, Texas. Investigators
concluded the cause of the mishap was both pilots' failure to lower the
landing gear during the aircraft's approach and landing. Contributing
factors for the pilots' failure to lower the landing gear were the
co-pilot's task oversaturation; the co-pilot's urgency to complete a long
mission; both pilots' inattention to instrument readings and the
descent/before landing checklist, and the co-pilot's false belief the pilot
had lowered the landing gear. According to the report, the pilot
unexpectedly turned over aircraft control to the co-pilot on the final
approach. The pilot reported to the air traffic control tower that the
landing gear was down despite the fact that the descent/before landing
checklist was never completed and the landing gear was never lowered. The
red warning light in the gear handle, indicating all landing gear was not
down and locked, was illuminated for more than four minutes during the
approach. Additionally, at the time the aircraft landed, the three green
position lights, which illuminate after the landing gear has locked in the
down position, were not illuminated. (Courtesy of Air Combat Command News
Service)

[Grumman-581[_1_]]

On Fri, 08 Dec 2006 10:28:14 +0000, in
>, avnav526 wrote:
<snip>

Hmmm... Sounds like a career limiting experience... Probably somewhere on
the order of declaring to your C.O. in the Air Force that you don't like
golf...

[Jim Macklin]

Thanks for the summary report, it almost presents even more
questions.



> wrote in message
t...
| 9/18/2006 - LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. (AFPN) -- Pilot
error caused a
| B-1 Lancer to crash while landing on the runway at a
forward-deployed
| location May 8, 2006, according to an aircraft accident
investigation report
| released here Sept. 18. The co-pilot suffered a minor
back injury and the
| other three crew members were not injured. Damage
totaled approximately
| $7.9 million for the aircraft and the damage to the runway
totaled
| approximately $14,025. The aircraft is assigned to the 9th
Expeditionary
| Bomb Squadron of the 7th Bomb Wing at Dyess AFB, Texas.
Investigators
| concluded the cause of the mishap was both pilots' failure
to lower the
| landing gear during the aircraft's approach and landing.
Contributing
| factors for the pilots' failure to lower the landing gear
were the
| co-pilot's task oversaturation; the co-pilot's urgency to
complete a long
| mission; both pilots' inattention to instrument readings
and the
| descent/before landing checklist, and the co-pilot's false
belief the pilot
| had lowered the landing gear. According to the report,
the pilot
| unexpectedly turned over aircraft control to the co-pilot
on the final
| approach. The pilot reported to the air traffic control
tower that the
| landing gear was down despite the fact that the
descent/before landing
| checklist was never completed and the landing gear was
never lowered. The
| red warning light in the gear handle, indicating all
landing gear was not
| down and locked, was illuminated for more than four
minutes during the
| approach. Additionally, at the time the aircraft landed,
the three green
| position lights, which illuminate after the landing gear
has locked in the
| down position, were not illuminated. (Courtesy of Air
Combat Command News
| Service)

[Peter R.]

> wrote:

> The pilot reported to the air traffic control tower that the
> landing gear was down despite the fact that the descent/before landing
> checklist was never completed and the landing gear was never lowered.

Ah, the dreaded "seeing what is not there" syndrome.
--
Peter

[Robert M. Gary]

Grumman-581 wrote:
> On Fri, 08 Dec 2006 10:28:14 +0000, in
> >, avnav526 wrote:
> <snip>
>
> Hmmm... Sounds like a career limiting experience... Probably somewhere on
> the order of declaring to your C.O. in the Air Force that you don't like
> golf...

What makes you think the problem was with the pilot?

-Robert

[Gig 601XL Builder]

"Robert M. Gary" > wrote in message
oups.com...
>
> Grumman-581 wrote:
>> On Fri, 08 Dec 2006 10:28:14 +0000, in
>> >, avnav526 wrote:
>> <snip>
>>
>> Hmmm... Sounds like a career limiting experience... Probably somewhere on
>> the order of declaring to your C.O. in the Air Force that you don't like
>> golf...
>
> What makes you think the problem was with the pilot?
>
> -Robert
>

Did you read the post he replied to? Maybe your news server missed it. So
here is the meat of it.

9/18/2006 - LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. (AFPN) -- Pilot error caused a
B-1 Lancer to crash while landing on the runway at a forward-deployed
location May 8, 2006, according to an aircraft accident investigation report
released here Sept. 18. The co-pilot suffered a minor back injury and the
other three crew members were not injured. Damage totaled approximately
$7.9 million for the aircraft and the damage to the runway totaled
approximately $14,025. The aircraft is assigned to the 9th Expeditionary
Bomb Squadron of the 7th Bomb Wing at Dyess AFB, Texas. Investigators
concluded the cause of the mishap was both pilots' failure to lower the
landing gear during the aircraft's approach and landing. Contributing
factors for the pilots' failure to lower the landing gear were the
co-pilot's task oversaturation; the co-pilot's urgency to complete a long
mission; both pilots' inattention to instrument readings and the
descent/before landing checklist, and the co-pilot's false belief the pilot
had lowered the landing gear. According to the report, the pilot
unexpectedly turned over aircraft control to the co-pilot on the final
approach. The pilot reported to the air traffic control tower that the
landing gear was down despite the fact that the descent/before landing
checklist was never completed and the landing gear was never lowered. The
red warning light in the gear handle, indicating all landing gear was not
down and locked, was illuminated for more than four minutes during the
approach. Additionally, at the time the aircraft landed, the three green
position lights, which illuminate after the landing gear has locked in the
down position, were not illuminated. (Courtesy of Air Combat Command News
Service)

[Steven P. McNicoll]

"Robert M. Gary" > wrote in message
oups.com...
>
> Grumman-581 wrote:
>> On Fri, 08 Dec 2006 10:28:14 +0000, in
>> >, avnav526 wrote:
>> <snip>
>>
>> Hmmm... Sounds like a career limiting experience... Probably somewhere on
>> the order of declaring to your C.O. in the Air Force that you don't like
>> golf...
>
> What makes you think the problem was with the pilot?
>

What suggests to you that he thinks that?

[Blueskies]

"Peter R." > wrote in message ...
: > wrote:
:
: > The pilot reported to the air traffic control tower that the
: > landing gear was down despite the fact that the descent/before landing
: > checklist was never completed and the landing gear was never lowered.
:
: Ah, the dreaded "seeing what is not there" syndrome.
: --
: Peter

A little bit like rummy, eh?

[Capt.Doug]

>"Jim Macklin" wrote in message > Thanks for the summary report, it almost
presents even more
> questions.

Hmm... How does complacency set in while flying combat missions?

D.

[Jim Macklin]

How do you get complacent with a big percentage of the whole
B1 fleet in your command? A fleet that cannot be replaced?



"Capt.Doug" > wrote in message
...
| >"Jim Macklin" wrote in message > Thanks for the summary
report, it almost
| presents even more
| > questions.
|
| Hmm... How does complacency set in while flying combat
missions?
|
| D.
|
|

[Grumman-581[_1_]]

On Sun, 10 Dec 2006 01:44:09 +0000, in
>, Capt.Doug
wrote:
> Hmm... How does complacency set in while flying combat missions?

After it's over, perhaps you get the feeling that the dangerous part is
over and now it's just a case of returning to a safe base and over a route
where no one will be shooting at you? Yeah, I could see it happening...
Kind of like when the F-117 was shot down over Kosovo if I remember
correctly...