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Europe
Pictured: Moment $19m F-16 fighter jet EXPLODES and another is damaged in Belgium after mechanic repairing a third jet accidentally opened fire with its Gatling cannon
2018-10-15
Multi-million pound stealth jet was destroyed after bursting into flames at base

Second jet damaged by fire after technician accidentally fired from third fighter

Stealth plane was fired on from jet parked in hanger as maintenance carried out

Two workers at Florennes base in Belgium suffer hearing damage after accident


Posted by:Anomalous Sources

#13  please do not forget 1988 nimitz fire: va-147 intentionally disabled safety circuits on an A-7 so they could do maintenance on a liaded gun using the engine rather than hydraulic genny. blew my KA6D up and started a helluva fire. killed 2.
147’s name was argonauts, we called them arsonauts.
their co made captain at next board.
pictures on the intertube
Posted by: USN, Ret.   2018-10-15 21:23  

#12  
Posted by: Skidmark   2018-10-15 17:50  

#11  I would assume something similar exists for guns.

It does. There are 'safety pins' (clips with numbered tags) that keep everything that needs to not work from working. (Weapons, landing gear, radar, ejection seat,...) The crew chief normally pulls them and hands them to the pilot right before take off. The pilot counts them and then stows them.
The problem arises when you do maintenance on something. Some one has to take the safety pin out. There's supposed to be a 'double check' program in place to make sure it's OK to remove the pin.
Of late, the Air Force has been failing safety checks at an ominous rate. (Generals have been loosing their jobs...)
Posted by: ed in texas   2018-10-15 17:04  

#10   I would assume something similar exists for guns.

It does. It's called the weight on gear switch. However,
if it is faulty or installed wrong it woun't interrupt the firing circuits. Then BAD things happen.
Posted by: Ebboting Bluetooth1554   2018-10-15 14:34  

#9  I'm curious as to how something like this happens.
Don't recall the type, but I've read of a fighter with a powerful air search radar in the nose that was equipped with a safety interlock that kept the radar off when there was weight on the nose wheel so as not to microwave the maintenance guys. I would assume something similar exists for guns.
Posted by: SteveS   2018-10-15 13:07  

#8  Do not attempt at home. Done by paid professionals on a closed circuit.
Posted by: Procopius2k   2018-10-15 11:00  

#7  101 ways NOT to do maintenance.
Posted by: DarthVader   2018-10-15 09:14  

#6  And John McCain wasn't there.
(See: USS Forrestal, accidental missile firing on deck, massive fire, etc)
Posted by: ed in texas   2018-10-15 07:05  

#5  Why was the plane armed during maintenance?
Posted by: Ebbavirt Clunk4147   2018-10-15 04:54  

#4  I guess he just couldn't see the other jets.
Posted by: CrazyFool   2018-10-15 04:22  

#3  Stealth plane? Oh yeah, it's the Daily Mail.
Posted by: Zenobia Clart9643   2018-10-15 04:20  

#2  Was the mechanic's name Mohammed?
Posted by: Glenmore   2018-10-15 01:54  

#1  Yeah, those cannons will deafen you. So sorry to hear that happened to those poor people.
Posted by: Herb McCoy   2018-10-15 01:41  

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