Article

2011-12-20 Africa North

USAF F-15E lost over Libya last March attributed to pilot error

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Posted by gromky 2011-12-20 00:00|| || Front Page|| [4 views ] Top

#1 Forgot to add this to the article:
Link to executive summary for F-15 crash

Link to full report, if you've got lots of time

Posted by gromky 2011-12-20 01:24|| 2011-12-20 01:24|| Front Page Top

#2 Pilot error, for not knowing how unstable the aircraft became when asymetrically loaded. The pilot did not exceed the printed restrictions, he just exceeded the aircraft's limitations.

Normally right-wing heavy, some extra fuel on the right wing, and the first bomb released was from the left side. A hard right turn near the printed limitation, and he goes into an urecoverable flat spin.

I wouldn't blame the pilot. I'd blame "the system". But the system doesn't allow that, does it.

Posted by Bobby 2011-12-20 06:53|| 2011-12-20 06:53|| Front Page Top

#3 When a UAV runs out of fuel and proceeds to land itself, is that pilot error or an intended mission?

Posted by Skidmark 2011-12-20 07:21|| 2011-12-20 07:21|| Front Page Top

#4 I wouldn't blame the pilot. I'd blame "the system".

I'd blame the pilot and perhaps the training regime. Any aircraft has limitations that its control systems can't overcome near the limits. A lot of pilot training is intended to instill rapid, automatic responses to avoid such situations.

Here's the dilemna for system designers: in a fly-by-wire aircraft, you can avoid 'at the limit' instabilities only by degrading the overall performance of the aircraft at more normal operating parameters. No high performance fighter can be fast, nimble and totally safe at all speeds/turning radii/weapons configurations. None.

Posted by lotp 2011-12-20 08:05|| 2011-12-20 08:05|| Front Page Top

#5 Among R/C pilots it was customary to curse "radio interference" for any loss of control. But it was a well-known "secret" that 99% of all R/C crashes were due to pilot error.

It's not as easy as it looks, folks!

Posted by Scooter McGruder 2011-12-20 15:57|| 2011-12-20 15:57|| Front Page Top

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