Pilot accidentally bombs home

[Mister Frag 0]

Original story can be found here.

Pilot Accidentally Bombs Home

Air Force Pilot Temporarily Grounded After Practice Bomb Fell On Texas House

Jul 18, 2002 12:14 pm US/Pacific

(AP)-(HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. )-The Air Force has grounded a fighter pilot who accidentally dropped three dummy bombs, including one that fell on a house.

The pilot did not know his F-117A stealth fighter was carrying the 25-pound practice bombs as he targeted trash bins and other structures during a training exercise Tuesday, the pilot's wing commander said.

"This is not the way we do business, and we're very disappointed it happened," Brig. Gen. Marc Rogers said.

The pilot, whose name was not released, dropped the bombs on a home in Monahans, Texas, and near roads in Pecos, Texas, and Maljimar, N.M. No one was injured.

He was suspended pending an investigation.

Rogers said training flights are routinely flown around the Southwest using cameras to simulate bombs aimed at targets, sometimes in populated areas.

Rogers said a routine preflight check, performed by pilots and maintenance personnel, includes an inspection of the bomb bay. But other factors, including a mechanical failure in the plane, may have caused the accident, he said.

One of the practice bombs went through a home's roof and into a bathroom, plowing six feet into the ground. Rogers said the Air Force will repair the home.

[Tovarish 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Mister Frag @ July 18 2002,22:16)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Rogers said the Air Force will repair the home.<span id='postcolor'>

I hope they don't decide to paradrop the tools, materials and repairmen

[Mister Frag 0]

I wouldn't be surprised if the new bathroom will come complete with one of those $10,000.00 toilet seats the Air Force likes to purchase.

[Scorpio 0]

LMAO!

[Warin 0]

Thus proving that the Air Force has a problem.

I can see the new recruiting ads:

Freindly Fire: Not Just For Canadians Anymore.

LOL

Poor guy... it would suck to have no idea that he was actually dropping things I can imagine he's pretty embarassed. Pilot Error is a wonderful thing. the sad fact is that he pilot usually takes the hit even when it's not 100% his fault.

[hovmand 0]

Good thing it was only practice bombs

[EveronVetsAgainstTheWar 1]

"The pilot did not know his F-117A stealth fighter was carrying the 25-pound practice bombs as he targeted trash bins and other structures during a training exercise"

Trash bins: America's number one threat.

[Tex -USMC- 0]

This is nothing compared to the time a nuke got dropped on a South Carolina house

[Tex -USMC- 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Mister Frag @ July 18 2002,22:16)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">The pilot, whose name was not released, dropped the bombs on a home in Monahans, Texas, and near roads in Pecos, Texas, and Maljimar, N.M. No one was injured.<span id='postcolor'>

Holy shit, this is my neck of the woods. Monahans is just a hundred miles or so down I-20

*puts on football helmet, eyes the sky nervously*

[Mister Frag 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Tex [uSMC] @ July 18 2002,14:23)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"></span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Mister Frag @ July 18 2002,22:16)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">The pilot, whose name was not released, dropped the bombs on a home in Monahans, Texas, and near roads in Pecos, Texas, and Maljimar, N.M. No one was injured.<span id='postcolor'>

Holy shit, this is my neck of the woods. Monahans is just a hundred miles or so down I-20

*puts on football helmet, eyes the sky nervously*<span id='postcolor'>

You have nothing to worry about, you're not Canadian, are you?

(Hangs head in shame and apologizes for insensitive joke)

[Badgerboy 0]

Well this is entirely the pilots fault.

When you book your A/C out, you sign a form which acknowledges that the A/C is in a fit state to fly. If your walk round or start up's reveal anything which is U/S, you give the A/C back. Its as simple as that. As the captain of the A/C YOU are responsible, not the engineers. Therefore you can't take someones word for it when they say there are no weapons on board. Secondly the bloody thing should have had arming flags on it, even if they are practise bombs.

The pilot needs to be sat down, have his head smacked against the wall, and returned to active duty. An incident like this will always sort you out.

'Don't assume, check!' - We've been using that for years.... it works!

Edit - Spelling

[NavyEEL 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Tex [uSMC]

*puts on football helmet, eyes the sky nervously*<span id='postcolor'>

bonus points if you catch it and run it in for a touchdown, Tex

[ralphwiggum 6]

aiming trashcans....damn that's good.

and yes, he missed it...

[theavonlady 2]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Badgerboy @ July 19 2002,00:30)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">The pilot needs to be sat down, have his head smacked against the wall, and returned to active duty.<span id='postcolor'>

Great! Now you want to put him back up in the sky with a concussion or skull fracture!

[MDRZulu 0]

I saw on TV a while back about some F-16 pilot that had to jettison the external fuel tank and it landed on this old ladies farm and I dont remember what she thought when she saw it out there but I think it almost hit her house too.

[Guest]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Badgerboy @ July 18 2002,23:30)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">The pilot needs to be sat down, have his head smacked against the wall, and returned to active duty.<span id='postcolor'>

Nah. I'm sure he'll be promoted and sent to lead a joint excercise with the Canadians

[ralphwiggum 6]

on the other hand, he can train harder and become as good as OFP AI. maybe he should learn some from them.

[Guest]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (RalphWiggum @ July 19 2002,08:32)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">on the other hand, he can train harder and become as good as OFP AI. maybe he should learn some from them. <span id='postcolor'>

You mean:

One: "Two attack LASER TARGET!"

Two (A10 LGB AI): "Roger"

One: "No you stupid bastard! Attack LASER TARGET not guy holidng laser designator!!!!"

[KABOOOOOM]

Two: "Gwahahahahhahahaa!....I mean.. Oh no, one is down!"

[Jester983 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (denoir @ July 19 2002,08:39)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">One: "Two attack LASER TARGET!"

Two (A10 LGB AI): "Roger"

One: "No you stupid bastard! Attack LASER TARGET not guy holidng laser designator!!!!"

[KABOOOOOM]

Two: "Gwahahahahhahahaa!....I mean.. Oh no, one is down!"<span id='postcolor'>

LOL. *sighs* If only we had more emotion in OFP. Not just these damn monotone voices.

[Warin 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (denoir @ July 19 2002,08:31)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Nah. I'm sure he'll be promoted and sent to lead a joint excercise with the Canadians <span id='postcolor'>

Thanks..really

All things considered, it sort of makes the US Air Force look more than a little silly, right?  When I read the guy that dropped that bomb on the candians was an Air National Guard, it didnt really surprise me. I mean...despite being a trained fighter puke, he is a glorified weekend warrior now.

But the guy..he's flying an F-117.  you'd think that they wuld put their best and brightest into those.

Perhaps they all attended:

The G W Bush School of Combat Aviation

[Jester983 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Warin @ July 19 2002,08:55)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">But the guy..he's flying an F-117.  you'd think that they wuld put their best and brightest into those.<span id='postcolor'>

You have a point there. I wonder if they even bothered to remind him that he had bombs onboard....I dont think they did..

[habdoel 0]

he had 3 bombs, 1 hit. So he missed 2. that men needs some practice.

[Tovarish 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (MDRZulu @ July 19 2002,08:20)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">I saw on TV a while back about some F-16 pilot that had to jettison the external fuel tank and it landed on this old ladies farm and I dont remember what she thought when she saw it out there but I think it almost hit her house too.<span id='postcolor'>

I saw that too, that was entirely different though. The guy suffered an engine flameout during a turn in a training excersize and had to jetisson all his external stores to be able to glide back to base. Better dumping a fuel tank and practice rounds over a residential area than dumping your plane over a residential area. The guy in the F-117 just had a brain fart. Gotta wonder though, if the bomb had been live would the US have called it "collateral damage" in the war against terrorism? After all, it's what they call it every time a pilot messes up like that abroad.

[EveronVetsAgainstTheWar 1]

Would it be possible to change the voices in OFP?

[Tovarish 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (residuum @ July 19 2002,15:27)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Would it be possible to change the voices in OFP?<span id='postcolor'>

eh? did you take a wrong turn somewhere while travelling the forum?