I’m hearing that an FA-18 crashed into a neighborhood in San Diego, near Miramar (the former location of the Navy’s “Top Gun” school), with an ejected pilot. If so, that’s very unusual. Pilots usually do what they can to make sure that the plane doesn’t hurt anyone on the ground before ejecting (if they eject).
[Update a few minutes later]
For those without access to radio/television, here’s a live thread tracking it over at Free Republic. It doesn’t sound good–several houses are reported to be burning. Let’s hope that no one was home.
twin jet with lots of redundancy, lots of excess power
and a FADEC? Either a very big pilot error, or, massive
maintenance fault.
So looking for video, I went to NBC San Diego to read about it.
Wow, the comments to the article:
what the hell are these guys doing flying over residential areas anyway?
With this crash a few moments ago and the investigation underway….why are military aircraft still flying?With this crash a few moments ago and the investigation underway….why are military aircraft still flying?
Geez…
Years ago, living in Tucson, I always enjoyed watching the Warthogs and F-16s flying out of Davis-Monthan circling overhead.
3 people dead according to Fox.
The residential area is just off the end of the Miramar Airbase. Type 4418 Cather Ave, San Diego, CA, into google maps, (Where the crash happened) then zoom out a bit you will see the airport is very near.
The eyewitness reports on the local radio say the plane was on fire before it crashed.
The pilot tried to crash into the canyon where the railroad is, and waited to the last possible moment to eject, but once you eject you have very little control over the aircraft path. Pilot ended up hanging in a tree on the edge of the canyon. Another eyewitness was on the radio who helped the pilot get out of the tree said that the pilot said “God I hope no one was home” over and over.
Accidents happen. We here the jets all the time my office is under the “crosswind” leg of the normal Miramar flight pattern when the planes leave the base. Often it is soo loud outside you have to suspend you conversation until tthe jet has gone by. I suspect that if you could get on the roof of our building you could have seen the3 flames from here.
Last I heard, there were two deaths on the ground.
Now I read there were three deaths.
Leland, I think a more reasonable question would be, “Why did the pilot and Marine Corp air traffic controllers decide to fly an already partially disabled aircraft (one engine failed while over the ocean) over a residential area instead of diverting to NAS North Island, which is on the coast a few miles south?” My childrens’ school is less than a quarter mile from the crash site. Extremely poor decision in my mind.
Scott,
I think what you say is a reasonable question. I think what you write is exercising good judgement and taking prudent action.
I went back to the website though, and the thought process of many who wrote such things I quoted are not like yours. Rather, there are complaints that the Marines have been causing problems for some time; the planes are too loud, and that military flights in an urban environment are too dangerous.