F-18 Crashed In Virginia Beach [merge]

[Nobody]

I am sick to my stomach right now. I was helping my father work on a sprinkler system down near the oceanfront a little while ago. The Navy was doing touch and goes, but me and my dad pointed out how it looked like a few of the pilots were hotdogging it. They were breaking the sound barrier over residential areas, which is against the law, and doing full and half rolls. One flew over particularly low, then it dove straight into the ground in a heavily populated apartment complex. I have friends in there I cannot get a hold of, and the fact that today is the first day of spring break it means kids are home from school, and my gut is churning at the thought of how bad it might be. The roads are all closed off, and there are cops and emergency crews all over the place. I am currently sitting here noticing some things. Two people appear to have ejected, and regardless of what they are probably saying on tv, there appeared to be no attempt to steer away from the residential area at all, it was almost like they tried to land it there. I have been sitting here for an hour or so now, and one thing visibly absent is military personnel. I am not sure as to what the details are, but on the surface, things aren't looking good. If the evidence shows these two were doing stunt in this jet, they need to be executed.

 

[NavyDave]

BREAKING: Navy F/A-18 from Oceana crashes into Virginia Beach apartment building

http://www.wtkr.com/news/wtkr-breaking-jet-crashes-in-virginia-beach-20120406,0,7398746.story

A jet has crashed into an apartment building in Virginia Beach on Birdneck Road. Crews are on the scene.

There has been a significant amount of damage done to an apartment building.


Two pilots have been transported to the hospital. There has been no word on injuries according to Tim Riley of the Virginia Beach Police Department. He stated that the two pilots ejected from the jet.


The interstate is now shut down on Laskin Road in both directions.

Another person has been transported to the hospital with smoke inhalation.

NewsChannel 3 is working to gather more information.


I was stationed down there. Hopefully family, friends, and others down there are all okay.

 

[Burgundy Burner]

It was a Super Hornet if two ejected.

 

[Nobody]

I understand your frustrations and sadness and I'm sorry for it but execution will not happen. The military is most likely either in site by now it close to it.
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A few officers have begun to show up now. I know he won't get executed, but I know for a fact with what I watched and when I heard him break the sound barrier that he was in violation of several laws - military, state and local. I've seen crashes before. usually the pilot goes down with it, and they almost always get it away from the population. This guy made no attempt. He broke mach 1, there were 2 ejections, and a full 3-5 seconds later, the jet went down. He had plenty of time and area left to steer that away. Instead, he cut and run as soon as he realized he screwed up.

 

[Burgundy Burner]

Sounds like it happened near Birdneck Rd. area - that is in/near the flight path.

Accidents happen with any aircraft. HIGHLY unlikely it was breaking the sound barrier - that has happened only twice over VB. One time was in the mid-eighties by an F-14 practicing for an airshow - that pilot never flew again. Second time was in the early nineties when an SR-71 was heading over the region toward a refueling off the NC coast - military had to acknowledge it and acknowledge that the spy plane was still operational at the time (thought to have been retired by then).

More details will come out, but let's not rush to judgment.

 

[Nobody]

Sounds like it happened near Birdneck Rd. area - that is in/near the flight path.

Accidents happen with any aircraft. HIGHLY unlikely it was breaking the sound barrier - that has happened only twice over VB. One time was in the mid-eighties by an F-14 practicing for an airshow - that pilot never flew again. Second time was in the early nineties when an SR-71 was heading over the region toward a refueling off the NC coast - military had to acknowledge it and acknowledge that the spy plane was still operational at the time (thought to have been retired by then).

More details will come out, but let's not rush to judgment.

Twice? Sorry to burst your bubble my friend, but I live here, you don't. It isn't a daily occurence, but it's happened more than twice since they started bringing the super hornets in. I live less than a mile from Oceana, and I have lived here 32 years. It never happened when I was younger, but it's been an ongoing problem since these started flying in. Several pilots have been busted rank. When a jet flies over your house, you hear what sounds like an explosion, and your entire house shakes things off your wall, there isn't really any more that explain that.

In fact, it happened just last week as well.

 

[Nobody]

The boom might have been the crash. Could have been engine failure too.
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The boom was more than 5 seconds before the crash. The boom was followed by a double ejection, which was followed by the crash.

 

[Nobody]

My wife just informed me that the Navy has talked to residents who say they heard three booms. To which the navy said was likely Mach 1, followed by the crash, followed by the fuel tanks exploding. Of course, nothing confirmed without investigation though.

 

[Nobody]

Definitely. I just hope it doesn't end the same way every crash we've had at air shows does - with the Navy denying any wrongdoing, excusing the pilot of any wrongdoing, and instead blaming some freak health condition that was unknown to the pilot. The only guy that could legitimately use that excuse was the skywriter that died in the cockpit and crashed a few years ago.

To the Navy's credit though, they have been pushing the city to quit encroaching for almost 20 years now, but our worthless mayor and city council keep violating the laws and building up to the fence anyway. It was only a matter of time I suppose, but it doesn't make it any easier to swallow. I was actually hoping BRAC would close Oceana this last go around, just because I knew it would come to this eventually. Hopefully this will push the commission to take action. This city needs to learn they can't always just do whatever they want.

 

[Burgundy Burner]

Ex, my company (the one I owned and sold for medical reasons) designed all of the CBT programs for the Hornet and Super Hornet (F-14 [retired] and E-2C as well). I continue to work on that contract about once a month through the company that services these progams through a phased maintenance agreement. Believe me, I would know if they have broken the barrier or have encountered some other illegalities.

Three "booms" = two ejections and one impact. Just saying.

Too, I have lived in VB longer than you have been alive. Don't make it a p*****g contest. There will be a thorough investigation and the truth will come out. That's all we can ask for at this juncture.

 

[Burgundy Burner]

Just a quick look at the pic would tell us that the pilot took it about as far as he/she could under the circumstances. It is not destroyed like you would see with a higher-speed impact.

Being in the flight path (taking off? landing? T&Gs?) would also suggest something happened without warning like complete loss of hydraulics or something else that is catastrophic. But that is just a guess and nothing more - we'll find out more as the day goes on and in the future.

 

[riggins44]

I've been watching the local news following this story. It is an unfortunate accident.

Extreme, I doubt they were doing Mach over VB. I live couple miles from Langley AFB and they never do mach. In fact, the only time they have been given permission to (as they say) break windows was when the jets from Langley scrambled on 9-11. The pilots were told to break windows to protect DC airspace. I have friends that were and are pilots. Plus, if the place was doing mach, then the damage would be worse. The force of impact would have been greater.

I'm not trying to minimize what happened, but accidents do happen. The development around OCEANA has been an ongoing issue. Anyone living or have lived in the area knows this. Heard a VB councilman even say this is an unfortunate accident.

Main thing is to hope and pray there are no casualties.

 

[riggins44]

Just a quick look at the pic would tell us that the pilot took it about as far as he/she could under the circumstances. It is not destroyed like you would see with a higher-speed impact.

This is my point in other thread. In watching the local news they say plane hit in a common area belonging to the apartment. One pilot landed on someone's porch or balcony.

There is a lot of speculation right now. Will take some time to get things sorted out.

 

[Burgundy Burner]

Good points riggins. Didn't know about the story from Langley and 9/11.

Mike, 106 is a RAG squadron. No way to know the age and condition of the jet until we get more info.

About BRAC, encroachment issues, etc. That has been a battle at Oceana for more than fifty years. Not sure if it is true, but the Navy is all but ready to leave from what a few business associates have said in recent years. The thinking is that Oceana would become the new international airport for the region if it happens.

My thought is that it is time for that to happen. Something like this was bound to occur and it is just a matter of time until one goes through Lynnhaven Mall.

 

[riggins44]

The plane went down not too far from the VA Beach Conference Center, which do to the holdiday didn't have anything scheduled. Plane could have crashed on a crowded 264.

Bad as this is...it could have been even worse.

 

[Burgundy Burner]

Mayfair Mews Apts. Jet was taking off - that would be in a NE direction from NAS.

The scene just seconds after it happened.

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eX0XH5xSn1o[/media]

Corrected "Mayfield" to "Mayfair".

 

[Burgundy Burner]

Pilot ejected at the very last second - still strapped to ejection seat. Jet stalled - tried to get control of it before going down.

 

[riggins44]

http://www.wvec.com/news/slideshows/Photos-More-from-Navy-jet-crash-146443135.html

Photo slideshow from local ABC station

 

[Burgundy Burner]

It looks like the pilot tried to put it down right in the middle of the complex where a small open area with two large trees is located. That area has no decent place to park a wounded bird. Those last second heroics saved lives - sounds like no lives were lost. Five civilians at Sentara (the hospital over on First Colonial Rd.?) with minor injuries - smoke inhalation. The aircrew was also taken to Sentara - no update on them.

 

[Burgundy Burner]

One civilian treated and released by the hospital.

The aircrew - one is in good condition and one is in stable condition.