Doesn't look good for the Pilot. I hear the crash happened in "Star Wars Canyon" . Lots of people go there in hopes of seeing Military aircraft doing high speed low altitude flying.

7 Park Visitors Injured After Naval Aircraft Crashes in Inyo County

At least seven people were injured after a U.S. Navy fighter jet crashed in the California desert Wednesday while on a routine training mission, according to the U.S. Naval Air Forces Pacific.

The single-seat Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet crashed just before 10 a.m. on the western edge of Death Valley National Park in the Mojave Desert, said park official Patrick Taylor.

Taylor told NBC 7 that seven park visitors sustained minor injuries in the crash.

“The status of the pilot is unknown at this time,” said Naval Air Station Lemoore Lt. Cmdr. Lydia Bock roughly four hours after the crash.

The jet went down about 60 miles north of Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, according to U.S. Naval Air Forces Pacific spokesperson Lt. Travis Callaghan. The station is 120 miles north of Los Angeles.

The aircraft was part of a strike fighter squadron CFA-151 stationed at Naval Air Station Lemoore. The squadron is part of an air group attached to the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis.

The crash site is located in Inyo County, which is southeast of Yosemite National Park.

Shit.... That place is one of my happy spots

Star Wars Canyon or, the 'Jedi Transition' is one of the the best spots in the world to watch military aircraft practice low-level flying. The area where spectators can watch is a rest area, called Father Crowley Point, you stand just about eye-level with the aircraft as they pass by, may times you're above the aircraft. The canyon got its name as the movie Star Wars filmed a scene there; R2-D2 running off where Obi Won meets Luke. Aircraft usually come in from West to East as they cross the massive R2508 range complex. Nearby Panamint Valley, you would occasionally see USN and USAF fighters tangle in various mock-dog fights. If non-spectators were hurt....that aircraft must've hit right near that vista point, spraying watchers, that canyon is very deep below that point. SAR will have their hands full with the terrain.



https://www.cp24.com/mobile/wo...itors-hurt-1.4532225

quote:

Cassell said he heard jets roaring through the area and then saw the cloud of smoke.

“It looked like a bomb,” Cassell said. “To me that speaks of a very violent impact.”
A jet that was following the downed craft pulled up and began circling, Cassell said. He didn't see any parachute.

His father drove up to the area after the crash and saw a large black scorch mark and shattered parts of the jet scattered throughout the area between the parking lot and lookout, Cassell said. A nose cone from the jet was the size of a bowling ball and the rest of the debris was no larger than a ball cap.

Ahhhh shit.

Tailwinds brother, always.

quote:

Originally posted by chellim1:
[FLASH_VIDEO]<iframe frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xpj7o_kNJ48" width="560"></iframe>[/FLASH_VIDEO]

Is this supposed to be a joke?

A naval aviator is missing, possibly dead, in the service of this country.

We do not even know the status of the pilot much less the reason for the crash.

What are you trying to say Chellim?

quote:

A naval aviator is missing, possibly dead, in the service of this country.
We do not even know the status of the pilot much less the reason for the crash.

True. We don't know the reason for the crash.
Prayers for the missing naval aviator.

quote:

Originally posted by corsair:
SAR will have their hands full with the terrain.


[QUOTE]Cassell said he heard jets roaring through the area and then saw the cloud of smoke.

A jet that was following the downed craft pulled up and began circling, Cassell said. He didn't see any parachute.

Navy & Marine SAR are REALLY good at what they do. ***IF*** the pilot is alive, chances are very good. Teams are on stand-by when those exercises are going on, more teams can be called in real quickly if needed. Insertion, Medical Care, Extrication and Extraction can be tricky in that neck of the woods, but those Guys practice there regularly.

But the no signs of a parachute isn't favorable.

Fox is now reporting that the pilot was killed.

Nickels

R.I.P LT

That sucks.

I would bet the cause will be failure to comply with low altitude flight rules, resulting in controlled flight into terrain, unless there is some flight control codes that popped at the last second.

Yes, it's 'Star Wars Canyon', but it really isn't that narrow. Been through it many many times. It's fun. Or at least it was fun.

RIP.

quote:

Originally posted by corsair:
If non-spectators were hurt....that aircraft must've hit right near that vista point, spraying watchers, that canyon is very deep below that point. SAR will have their hands full with the terrain.

It hit about 25 yards below a trail near the vista; the photos I've seen show nothing left except a large black spot on the ground - nothing remotely resembling a plane.

I've been to that spot and watched the F/A-18s. All the jets I saw were below me, in the canyon. That looked dicey at any speed. It is very remote too.

quote:

That looked dicey at any speed.

Not really 'dicey', but all low altitude flight is just unforgiving of errors or inattention.

There is no time to do anything else but fly the plane - which sounds stupid, but there are many other things to do, like change radio freqs, deal with a random alert in the plane, or some such thing. But when you are low and fast, the pilot simply has to just fly.

The Navy has currency rules for low altitude flight, so if you haven't done it in awhile, you have higher minimum altitudes and have to perform some refresher maneuvers before going to 200'/500'.

quote:

Originally posted by RHINOWSO:
Not really 'dicey', but all low altitude flight is just unforgiving of errors or inattention'.

Absolutely. RHINO is right that’s there’s a lot to do in a tactical jet even down low. But you can never forget you’re just a couple of seconds or a couple of inches pushing the stick the wrong direction from hitting the ground. Just a few seconds inattention is all it takes.

When flying Harriers our bread and butter was low altitude flying. While you got used to it and could perform whatever task needed at 200’ (check the map, switch freqs, look over your shoulder for your wingman or bandits, etc.), you did it quickly for about 1 second then back to flying/terrain avoidance. And anytime we flew at 100’ or less you spent 100% of your time focused only on flying - no other task but focusing on not hitting the ground.

This sounds like a tragic case of inattention. It’s not the first time it’s happened and won’t be the last.

2:30 is when the pilot drops into the canyon.

The highway below is Hwy-190

This message has been edited. Last edited by: corsair,

^^^^^^^^^^^
There is nothing like a 60+ degree angle of bank turn, 450kts, 6+g, in full afterburner, at 200'.

You certainly know you are on the edge of life. Fun as hell.

Pilot has been identified as LT Charles Walker.

RIP brother.

https://news.usni.org/2019/08/...y-super-hornet-crash

Damn. A second-tour LT.

Prayers for his family and squadron mates.

Flying low + speed = zero error margin

Inside a fatal Super Hornet crash in Star Wars canyon

quote:

“The flight profile created conditions where the processing time and subsequent reaction time required of the pilot made it difficult for the aircraft to exit the canyon safely,” the report states.

“The findings of this investigation should be widely shared as an example of the unforgiving nature of naval aviation and the fact that a brief lapse in judgement can produce catastrophic results.”

....

The investigator wrote that Walker was not current in low altitude training because he had not flown a minimum of 10 minutes in a low altitude environment in the past 30 days, so he was instructed to keep his jet at least 500 feet above ground level during that day’s training.

No evidence emerged that Walker was “flat-hatting” or flying at a low altitude for thrills, according to the report.
“LT Walker was considered to be the most proficient (low altitude training) pilot in the squadron,” the report states.

His chain of command reported that “the ‘low level’ flight was likely a favorite mission of LT Walker and that he was very thorough in his preparation.”

Walker entered the canyon from the west, descending through 4,000 feet and going roughly 630 mph “in full afterburner,” the report states.

His wingman didn’t see the crash.

A bit more detail with the report here


The family of tourists visiting from France will have tails to tell of their visit to the California desert, very unfortunate.

That's terrible new. I like watching star wars canyon and mach loop. RIP

I was told by a Viper driver here in AZ that the Canyon was now closed and off limits to military aircraft