F-15 Mid-Air Collision - Pilot Lands Safely Sans Wing ! !

[Heather Poe]

Found in:
http://overtheairwaves.com/
video:
http://www.sonnyradio.com/F15.wmv

[Harry_S.]

I can't pull either one of those in Heather, but...

If that happened several years back, I did have photos of both aircraft and it was amazing that either one of them came back and landed. Fantastic piloting.

Of course, ahem...credit must be given to the aircraft as well.


Cheers :)

[Mac]

I also could not get windows media player to connect. I did do a search and found the story with still pictures.

I would really love to see the video!

Here is the story: http://www.strangemilitary.com/content/item/110099.html

[Heather Poe]

I can't pull either one of those in Heather
I also could not get windows media player to connect.
I don't know what to say. The links work from both my PC and my Mac.

[GyroDoug]

The video pulled up fine on my computer. It is an incredible story and a miracle that they actually have video footage of the incident. Way worth watching!!! I don't think a gyro would fare so well with half of a rotor torn off in flight.

Gyro Doug

[Mac]

Hello Heather
Cranked up the laptop and watched the video.
Excellent video.

Thanks

[Udi]

This accident happened while I was serving in the IDF, 24 years ago. Doug - the video footage is just an illustration - only the stills are from the accident.

Udi

[Mike Jackson]

This was an incredible story. F-15 midair with an A4 on a training mission. The A-4 driver ejected safely I believe.

The F-15 has an incredible flight control system. 3 hyd systems for the flight controls (A,B and standby). With loss of a wing one hyd sys isolates itself and shuts down. If leak continues the logic says I shut the wrong one down. Turns the first back on then isolates the second. The flt controls also have a control aug system (CAS) which is fly by wire on top of the hyd system. The overall control is smooth as a baby's behind. Very light and powerful.

The CAS sensed a big roll rate and compensated with assymetric horizontal stab. Ailerons are not hooked up to the CAS system. Both ailerons and differential stab provide roll. Huge stab and fuselage kept the F-15 from rolling into the dirt but it took lots off airspeed to do so. Kudos for the IDF pilot in figuring out his min approach speed which I believe was near 300 kts. It was difficult to stop. Pilot did not know until he dismounted he had lost the entire wing. The aircraft was rebuilt quite quickly and put back into service.

McDonnel Douglas St. Louis (now Boeing) got a lot of mileage out of this one.

[Udi]

Maybe my memory is playing tricks on me after 24 years, Mike, but my recollection from this accident is that after the collision the pilot was ordered to take the plane to the ocean and eject because command felt he was likely to crash on landing or into populated areas, and they didn't want to risk human life for a piece of (albeit expensive) machinery. He ignored this order and brought the plane down. He got disciplined for disobeying orders. Sure he is a hell of a stick and has balls of steel but landing a plane in this condition when you have a safe way out is even stupider than flying a HTL gyro without a stab... :flame:

Udi

[Mike Jackson]

Hi Udi,

Just pulled the book off my shelf which had a chapter on the incident. The book is entitled: G-SUIT Combat Reports From Israel's Air War - written by Merav Halperin & Aharon Lapidot. It's a very good book and a fast read.

No mention of being told to eject but could have. These guys are very disciplined. Apparently the F-15 crossed the fence at about 280 Kts. The aircraft was back in the air in 2.5 months.

According to the story McDonnel Douglas said it couldn't be flown and were extremely surprised when shown the aircraft.

Cheers,

Mike

[Harry_S.]

is even stupider than flying a HTL gyro without a stab... :flame:

Udi



Now Udi, you didn't have to go off the deep end there.


Cheers :)

[Harry_S.]

Thanks for your posts Mike...very informative and credible, as coming from a former F-15 driver.


Cheers :)

[Udi]

Just pushing your buttons, Harry. Don't take my humor too seriously... :rapture:

Udi

[Harry_S.]

GOTCHA!! :laser:


Cheers :)