![\"F-5N\"](\"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/f-5n-e1537635447936.jpg\")
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A year ago, an F-5N Tiger II tactical fighter aircraft the US Navy purchased from the Swiss Air Force crashed into the Atlantic Ocean forcing the pilot to eject.<\/p>\n
The event took place on 09 August, about 20 nautical miles southeast of Naval Air Station Key West.<\/p>\n
The unnamed pilot, assigned to Fighter Squadron Composite (VFC) 111, was quickly recovered by a Coast Guard helicopter at approximately 1:15 p.m.<\/p>\n
He was reported to have no significant injuries.<\/p>\n
The pilot \u2014 whose name is redacted in the report \u2014 was flying a standard training mission for the \u201cSun Downers\u201d of Fighter Composite Squadron 111 that day, playing the role of an aerial adversary, according to the report.<\/p>\n
This is the narrative from the mishap report.<\/p>\n
The flight seemed routine until after he heard the call of \u201cFights On\u201d and he “pulled the nose toward vertical \u2026 and noticed the nose tracking slow\u201d at about the 70-degree mark, according to his official statement.<\/p>\n
He tried to keep the nose from \u201cgetting parked close to vertical,\u201d but the right rudder input seemed sluggish.<\/p>\n
\u201cI do not recall an altitude or airspeed as I was looking at my opponent at this time,\u201d he said. \u201cThe aircraft departed controlled flight.\u201d<\/p>\n
That laconic statement belies the chaos that ensued over the coming seconds.<\/p>\n
The jet inverted, slicing and rolling left before kicking into a fully inverted left spin, according to the report.<\/p>\n
\u201cKnock it off, Viper 2, watch the deck,\u201d his colleague in the other jet warned.<\/p>\n
But the jet continued to fall.<\/p>\n
Upside down, the pilot recalled seeing \u201ca number of items from the cockpit collect on the canopy above me.”<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the pens came out of my g-suit pocket.\u201d<\/p>\n
With the altimeter reading between 8,000 and 9,000 feet, he said that he tried to apply procedures to right the aircraft. He moved to roll the jet upright but failed, a sign he believed that the plane was gyrating after the stall.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe situation was unbelievably disorienting as I was \u2018hanging in the straps\u2019 and waiting for control effectiveness to return,\u201d the pilot said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWatch your altitude,\u201d the other pilot warned again. \u201cWATCH THE DECK!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember thinking I was rapidly losing the opportunity to eject as my altitude decreased,\u201d the pilot said. \u201cI grabbed the handles and commanded ejection.\u201d<\/p>\n
The next few seconds became a blur.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
The “Knock it off” call is used whenever anyone involved in an evolution feels an unsafe condition exists, which clearly was the case here. To read the rest of the article, click Here.<\/a><\/p>\n
Note: The article was too lengthy to post in its entirety. I highly recommend following the link for the remainder- it’s a real world water survival evolution, and should be required reading for all who fly in military aircraft.
\nAW1Ed<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"