F/A-18F Superhornet down at NAS Lemoore, both crew killed

[airattackimages]

May they forever have rest in our Lord Jesus Christ. :(

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/04/two-killed-in-navy-jet-crash-near-lemoore.html (http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/04/two-killed-in-navy-jet-crash-near-lemoore.html)

http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=59617 (http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=59617)

[Allen]

Damm...

[airattackimages]

Squadron now confirmed as VFA-122...

[PRB]

If VFA-122, that's the training squadron out there. I read one story that said VFA-22, which is a fleet squadron. Still early I guess. Very sad.

[Felixthreeone]

This is terrible news. Breaks my heart. Damn.

[airattackimages]

If VFA-122, that's the training squadron out there. I read one story that said VFA-22, which is a fleet squadron. Still early I guess. Very sad.
Yep, Navy confirmed it as One Two Two, the Fleet Replacement Squadron. Also, it's an F model and VFA-22 flies the E.

Very sad :(

[Roadburner440]

This is very unfortunate. Time to wait for the mishap report to see if it was maintenance malpractice, pilot error, or weather/environment related.. I can only imaging being an FRS they are pretty high paced like we are at mine. Just sucks that for whatever reason they were unable to punch out. No excuse to lose human life over training missions.

[Navy Chief]

This is very unfortunate. Time to wait for the mishap report to see if it was maintenance malpractice, pilot error, or weather/environment related.. I can only imaging being an FRS they are pretty high paced like we are at mine. Just sucks that for whatever reason they were unable to punch out. No excuse to lose human life over training missions.

What squadron are you with at Jax? I never saw the ops end of an FRS when I was with VFA-106. I worked as a Training Coord., and not with FRAMP. It is indeed a tragic thing to happen.

Navy Chief

[TARPSBird]

I've been retired since 1992, so most of the F-14 guys I knew who transitioned to Hornets have by now either retired or advanced to senior command positions where they are less likely to be involved in tragedies like this. I remember when I was at Whidbey and Miramar and you heard that somebody crashed, your first reaction is, "I hope I don't know him (or them)". Sounds kinda selfish but after you've lost a few guys you worked with on a daily basis, it's how you deal with it. RIP Hornet crew. :USA-flag:

[PRB]

Apparently they were doing an airshow demo practice, so, probably not an inexperienced crew...

[Roadburner440]

NC I am currently with HSM-40 at Mayport. I am unsure of the F-18 community, but I know in our community there is A LOT of pressure to get the checks in the block. Especially since we are the last SH-60B FRS left in the fleet, and only 1 of 2 MH-60R FRS squadrons. It is everything we can do to do everything by the book every time to try to prevent mishaps from happening.. Our biggest issue where I work is tool control (which could lead to something like this happening). It is just very unfortunate. Especially when you work with, talk to, and hang out with your aircrew. People in this squadron are going through a terrible time right now with this I am sure, and I just hope it was something that we all can learn from. We were discussing mishaps at the last few maintenance meetings though with all these tool issues we have been having, and our Master Chief pointed out that the common denominator in almost every report is human error on some level. Have been fortunate myself to have not been part of a mishap. My first squadron crashed a bird a few months prior to my arrival, and I remember the somber mood that lingered around even after I got there in 2004. Over the years there have been numerous total aircraft loses in my wing as well. The Navy Times put up an updated article about the incident. http://www.navytimes.com/news/2011/04/navy-lemoore-crash-victims-names-released-040711w/

PRB you will find most times that it usually is experienced aircrew, or maintainers that wind up in these situations. From my couple year stint in QA and having to do presentations at safety stand downs about mishaps throughout the Navy and such. Most times was a senior maintainer that got complacent, and was either trying to meet a deadline by rushing or plain ignoring procedures because they have done it a bunch of times before. Then of course the junior personnel do not say anything, because they are afraid of what will happen. Similar thing with pilots. Reading Mech Magazine, and the other Naval aviation safety magazine that I can't think of off the top of my head (think it is Approach) get a similar breakdown in the cockpit a lot. Any of us that have worked on birds can probably attest to some of the times we have created more work for ourselves. All we can do though is learn from it and move on. Just feel bad for their families and loved ones. Hopefully they are getting the support that they need at this time.

[PRB]

Excellent points, Roadburner, about experience and complacency in naval aviation. I was in the A-7 and FA-18 community at Lemoore from 1982 to around 2006, as an AT and then civilian contractor. In 1982, when I had just joined VA-94, we lost our CO in a landing accident at NAS Fallon, NV. The CO had just taken command the week before, and he had just given us new guys the welcome aboard brief. I remember he seemed very young for a CO. The morale in the squadron was pretty bad after that accident.
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I’ve never been in an FRS squadron, but I know the tempo and associated pressure in those outfits is very high. Every good maintenance chief I’ve ever known has done at least one tour with an FRS squadron… At Lemoore there are two FRS squadrons. VFA-125 for the F/A-18C/Ds and VFA-122 for the F/A-18E/F Super Bugs.