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Thumpalumpacus

Thumpalumpacus

Lieutenant Colonel
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18,558
Feb 5, 2021
Tejas

An F/A-18 fighter jet slipped off the hangar deck of an aircraft carrier deployed to the Middle East, as sailors were towing the aircraft into place in the hangar bay of the aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman on Monday, the Navy said.

The crew members who were in the pilot seat of the Super Hornet and on the small towing tractor both jumped out before the jet and the tug went into the Red Sea. According to a defense official, the sailor who jumped from the aircraft sustained a minor injury. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss personnel details.

"The F/A-18E was actively under tow in the hangar bay when the move crew lost control of the aircraft. The aircraft and tow tractor were lost overboard," the Navy said in a statement. The jet was part of Strike Fighter Squadron 136.

www.airforcetimes.com

Fighter jet slips off carrier hangar deck in Red Sea, one minor injury

An F/A-18 fighter jet slipped off the hangar deck of the USS Harry S. Truman as sailors were towing the aircraft into place, the Navy said.
www.airforcetimes.com www.airforcetimes.com

Someone's career just fell into the sea, too.
 
To follow up:


AU.S. Navy F/A-18E Super Hornet fighter fell off the side of the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman while the ship was conducting evasive maneuvers in response to incoming Houthi threats earlier today, a U.S. official has told TWZ. A tow tractor that had been moving the aircraft at the time also went over the side in the incident, in which thankfully only a single sailor suffered minor injuries.

CNN's Natasha Bertrand was first to report that the Truman making a hard turn in response to incoming Houthi fire may have been a contributing factor in the incident, citing an unnamed U.S. official. Military.com's Konstantin Toropin also subsequently reported this detail, again citing an anonymous U.S. official.


A full statement on today's incident from the Office of the Navy Chief of Information (CHINFO), the Navy's top public affairs office, which does not mention any incoming Houthi threats at the time, reads:

"USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) lost an F/A-18E Super Hornet assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 136 and a tow tractor as the aircraft carrier operated in the Red Sea, April 28. All personnel are accounted for, with one Sailor sustaining a minor injury.

The F/A-18E was actively under tow in the hangar bay when the move crew lost control of the aircraft. The aircraft and tow tractor were lost overboard.

Sailors towing the aircraft took immediate action to move clear of the aircraft before it fell overboard. An investigation is underway.

The Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group and embarked air wing remain fully mission capable.

The strike group consists of flagship Harry S. Truman, the nine squadrons of Carrier Air Wing 1, three guided-missile destroyers of Destroyer Squadron 28, and the Ticonderoga class cruiser USS Gettysburg (CG 64)."

And here's some video of a similar evasive maneuver. I didn't realize these ships were this handy.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtkpDV6Gq0c&
 
There would have been a tug driver and a brake rider in the Hornet. Also, a plane director and two and likely more wing walkers, usually carrying a chock, often with a tie down link over their shoulder, with more sitting readily available on the tug. Any time a rig is stationary, the chocks are in place, under directions of the plane director.
Apparently, they all got clear, and thank goodness!
fa-18-hanger-deck-of-the-nimitz-class.jpg

Note that there's a secure padeye every few feet ... flight deck, hangar deck and elevators. The deck crews are as practiced as a racing pit crew, and shove in chocks and will link up tiedowns in less time that it takes to tell.
The rig must have been on the elevator or moving between a deck and elevator to have made it over the side.
However, though gritty, all surfaces at sea are bathed in salt, sea spray and abundant fuel, oil, and slippery fluid drips and mists. The crew stops sliding a/c countless times each and every day. This time the 20 ton combo got away from them.
Look at pix of a/c moving or secured close to the edge of a deck. The safety distance is not feet ... it's INCHES!!

Spooky stuff to be taxiing on a flight deck, and have the yellow shirt move you forward, watching the deck disappear beneath you, with just water below, trusting him to turn you before the nose wheel reaches the edge ... and remember, there's no curb or safety rail to stop you!
That's what turns a lot of teen age boys into men.
 
Last edited:
Barrett said:
"Actively under tow."
As opposed to INACTIVELY under tow...
We pay some people too much.
But we've known that for ever so long...
Click to expand...
I'm missing your point{s), and who are you talking about?

I pointed out 'under tow' to call attention to the safety crew carrying chocks, which otherwise would have been in place.

There are different tractors for flight deck and hangar deck. This is a flight deck unit with tow bar, and would be replaced with one that fits under the plane for tight space maneuvering. Once off the elevator, the special tug would take over. A lot of aircraft placement was done pushing by hand on both decks.
hangar deck tug.jpg


Totally don't understand where 'overpaid' fits here.
As an O-3 in late '60s with sea pay, flight pay and combat pay, I made less than $12,000.
The stewardesses I often dated, flying for Flying Tiger/All American, etc. delivering troops to and from SEAsia made double that.
Most flight deck crew made about 1/3 that.
A UAW factory worker salary was in the teens, dependent on specialty.
 
fannum said:
I'm missing your point{s), and who are you talking about?
Click to expand...
He was referring to the article:

Thumpalumpacus said:
"The F/A-18E was actively under tow in the hangar bay when the move crew lost control of the aircraft. The aircraft and tow tractor were lost overboard," the Navy said in a statement. The jet was part of Strike Fighter Squadron 136.
Click to expand...
 
I'm dense. Still not getting it.
Yes, I obviously knew which article Barrett was talking about, and explaining why "Actively under tow" was important to my post.

I'm still puzzled who is overpaid, and how that mention fits into the thread.

OK, I'm a geezer, and love subtlety, but sometimes need things spelled out.
 
"Actively under tow" sits in contrast to rigged for towing but stopped for some reason or another. Say, if it's chocked waiting for another aircraft to clear hangar space before resuming towing, but still hooked up to the tractor with a tow crew in attendance, ready to move along once the space is cleared.

The entire process could well be described as "the tow", and the adjective "actively" added to indicate it was in motion at the time of loss. That's how I read it.
 
And a bolter gone awry:

For the second time in just eight days, a US fighter jet has been lost to the Red Sea after falling from the USS Harry S Truman aircraft carrier, US officials say.

An F/A-18F Super Hornet was attempting to land on the Truman's flight deck on Tuesday when a manoeuvre failed, "causing the aircraft to go overboard", an official told the BBC's US partner CBS News.

The two pilots inside the aircraft ejected, and sustained minor injuries in the incident. The jets themselves are reportedly worth tens of millions of dollars each.

"Both aviators safely ejected and were rescued by a helicopter assigned to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 11," the official told CBS.

It comes after another Super Hornet went overboard into the same sea last Monday in a separate incident.

It was "under tow in the hangar bay when the move crew lost control of the aircraft", a US Navy statement said. A sailor sustained minor injuries, and a tractor that had been towing the aircraft was also pulled into the water.

During the second incident, officials said there was a failure of an arrestment - referring to a cable that is used to help slow down a jet as it lands.

www.bbc.com

Second US fighter jet falls into Red Sea from Truman aircraft carrier

Crew members sustained minor injuries after the latest mishap involving the carrier in the Middle East.
www.bbc.com www.bbc.com

Third plane lost on this deployment. They'd best get home soon or they'll run out of planes.
 
fannum said:
I'm dense. Still not getting it.
Yes, I obviously knew which article Barrett was talking about, and explaining why "Actively under tow" was important to my post.

I'm still puzzled who is overpaid, and how that mention fits into the thread.

OK, I'm a geezer, and love subtlety, but sometimes need things spelled out.
Click to expand...
Overpaid was referring to the writer of the article.
 
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