Navy Jets Collide

Report: Wrong turn led to midair collision

A collision between two F/A-18E Super Hornets last year was the simple result of a pilot calling for a hard turn to the right, but heading left instead.

The jets collided March 15, 2010, over the Naval Air Station Fallon Range Training Complex, Nev. The pilot who made the error was able to land the severely damaged plane while the other was forced to eject, suffering mild but lingering back pain from the parachute landing.

“A review of all available evidence supports a conclusion that this mishap was the result of an aircrew error on the part of” one of the pilots, according to a command investigation obtained by Navy Times through the Freedom of Information Act.

Who exactly in Strike Fighter Squadron 137, the “Kestrels,” was responsible for destroying a $57 million aircraft and damaging another is unknown — the Navy redacted the names of the pilots from the report. The pilot who made the error was referred to as a male lieutenant commander while the pilot who was hit was identified as a male lieutenant.

The Naval Air Station Lemoore, Calif.-based squadron was at Fallon for a three-week training program. The March 15 flight was supposed to prepare the pilots for a night self-escort strike mission. Preparations were uneventful, and the four single-seat Super Hornets took off at 9:15 p.m. with the lieutenant commander as the flight lead.

Shortly after takeoff, they moved into a “wall formation” with the Super Hornets four abreast, putting 1.2 nautical miles between the two planes that eventually would collide. The lieutenant commander was flying one of the two inside planes.

“90-right, go,” the lieutenant commander announced, signaling everyone to turn.

While the three other planes turned right, for some reason the lieutenant commander turned left. About 11 seconds later, the side of his plane collided with the lieutenant’s at 792 knots.

Immediately after the hit, the lieutenant heard voice alerts warning of fires in both engines, saw fireballs in both cockpit rearview mirrors and hydraulic cautions on the Super Hornet’s digital display. A moment later, he ejected at 16,000 feet above sea level, parachuting into waist-deep snow as his plane crashed into the side of a Nevada mountain. He used his parachute as a blanket and was rescued after about 90 minutes on the ground.

French, Lithuanian jets collide, pilots OK: Voice of Russia

Lithuanian and French NATO military jets collided on Monday in mid-air during a patrol over the Baltic state but the pilots escaped unhurt, according to officials at the Siauliai air base where a NATO air mission is policing the Baltic.

An L-39 Lithuanian military plane collided with a French Mirage jet in the air.

Lithuanian pilots ejected successfully and were found uninjured. The Mirage landed successfully. No one was injured.

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