Great shot of the Thunderbird F-16 Ejection

Over on "alt.binaries.pictures.aviation" someone has posted a terrific, high
resolution, nearly head-on shot of the Air Force Thunderbird F-16 ejection
sequence from the crash in Idaho a few months ago. It REALLY shows how
close the pilot came to hitting the deck before ejecting.

It turns out the pilot didn't convert his altitude from MSL to AGL
correctly, and thus started the split-S maneuver some 800 feet too low.

For those interested in the accident report, here it is:
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Thunderbird accident report released [Updated]
Wednesday, January 21, 2004 - 09:10 PM

A pilot's error caused a Thunderbirds F-16C to crash shortly after
takeoff during a September airshow at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho.
The pilot ejected just before the aircraft impacted the ground.

On Wednesday, the Air Force Accident Investigation Board held a news
conference at the home of the Thunderbirds - Nellis Air Force Base - to
announce what caused an F-16 to crash last September.

According to the accident investigation board report the pilot,
31-year-old Captain Chris Stricklin, misinterpreted the altitude required to
complete the "Split S" maneuver. He made his calculation based on an
incorrect mean-sea-level altitude of the airfield. The pilot incorrectly
climbed to 1,670 feet above ground level instead of 2,500 feet before
initiating the pull down to the Split S maneuver.

When he realized something was wrong, the pilot put maximum back stick
pressure and rolled slightly left to ensure the aircraft would impact away
from the crowd should he have to eject. He ejected when the aircraft was 140
feet above ground - just 0.8 seconds prior to impact. He sustained only
minor injuries from the ejection. There was no other damage to military or
civilian property.

The aircraft, valued at about $20.4 million, was destroyed.

The difference in altitudes at Nellis and Mountain Home may have
contributed to the pilot's error. The airfield at Nellis is at 2,000 feet
whereas the one at Mountain Home is at 3,000 feet. It appears that the pilot
reverted back to his Nellis habit pattern for s aplit second. Thunderbird
commander Lt. Col. Richard McSpadden said Stricklin had performed the stunt
around 200 times, at different altitudes during his year as a Thunderbird
pilot.

McSpadden says Stricklin is an exceptional officer. "He is an
extremely talented pilot. He came in here and made an honest mistake," says
Lt. Col. McSpadden. But that mistake has cost Stricklin his prestigious spot
on the Thunderbird team. "He's assigned to Washington D.C.," says McSpadden.
"He's working in the Pentagon there in one of the agencies."

The maneuver the pilot was trying to complete is called the "Split S
Maneuver." The stunt requires that the pilot climb to 2,500 feet.
Investigators say Stricklin only climbed to 1,670 feet before he went into
the spinning roll.

The board determined other factors substantially contributed to
creating the opportunity for the error including the requirement to convert
sea level altitude information from the F-16 instruments - to their altitude
above ground and call out that information to a safety operator below.

But the Air Force has now changed that as a result of the crash.
Thunderbird pilots will now call out the MSL (mean-sea-level) altitudes as
opposed to the AGL (above-ground-level) altitudes.

Thunderbird pilots will now also climb an extra 1000 feet before
performing the Split S Maneuver to prevent another mistake like the one on
Sep.14, 2003 from happening again.

Captain Chris Stricklin has been in the Air Force since 1994 and flew
with the Thunderbirds since their first season. He has logged a total of
15,000+ flight hours and has received numerous awards. He served as a flight
examiner, flight instructor and flight commander.

The Thunderbirds will again take to the skies this year. They have 65
air shows scheduled.

The September crash was the second involving a Thunderbirds jet since
the team began using F-16s in 1983.

Pilot error was blamed for a Feb. 14, 1994, training crash involving
in a maneuver called a spiral descent at the Indian Springs Auxiliary
Airfield, northwest of Las Vegas. The pilot survived, but the maneuver was
discontinued.

The worst crash in Thunderbird history, dubbed the "Diamond Crash,"
came when four pilots crashed Jan. 18, 1982, during training at Indian
Springs. A malfunction in the lead plane was blamed.
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--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"