Breaking on GEM$NBComcast - F18 Jet crashes into apartment

[malaise]

in Virginia beach

[WilliamPitt]

1. Damn

I remember being at VA beach and watching the fighters race-tracking over the town all day.

Not good.

[malaise]

3. Word is that the pilots ejected

but the apartment complex (Mayfair Mews) is on fire. No word on safety of pilots

[malaise]

2. Live stream

http://www.wavy.com/generic/news/WAVY_Newscast_Live_Stream

[onehandle]

4. Screen shot. Not good...

[malaise]

6. CNN has live coverage as well

Damn! Hope no one was home

[MrScorpio]

5. Oh, my fucking God

Not good, not good at all.

[malaise]

7. Pilots safe - gone to hospital with minor injuries

No injuries on the ground but they have not been able to access apartment complex

[Marrah_G]

8. Yikes

I hope no one was home. Even if no one is there, I can't imagine with jet fuel involved that there will be anything left of the building or their possessions.

[malaise]

10. Given the easter school holidays I am sure there were people at home

Damn!!

[nadinbrzezinski]

12. And Passover.

Gluten allergy. I no longer make that dinner, but take my word, it is time consuming.

[malaise]

15. Indeed two big holidays

Hope the casualties are few.
We don't celebrate religious holidays but I'll be stuffing a 5lb snapper for Sunday dinner anyway. I deboned and seasoned it when I brought it home fresh yesterday and froze it in a baking pan wrapped in a ziplock bag. I'll make the broth and stuffing on Sunday morning and bake some new potatoes whole.

[pinboy3niner]

9. Witness on CNN said one bldg 'flattened'

And others set ablaze by flaming debris ejected from crash.

[nadinbrzezinski]

11. Building on fire

According to witness on msnbc. This is an apartment / condo building. Two story.

[nadinbrzezinski]

13. Too early but once they got fire out

There will be collapse confined space rescue. Good news...Virginia Beach has one if the top teams in the world...and right now they are not deployed...so if people are alive, they have the best chance of extrication.

[malaise]

19. Sounds like only one pilot ejected

Damn

[Are_grits_groceries]

14. Another pic:

Damn!

[malaise]

16. How big is the F18?

I'm clueless

[nadinbrzezinski]

17. Larger than a Cesna

Think as size is concerned, a small commercial jet...you are seeing the two GE engines there.

The problem is it was fully fueled. And we do not know if this was just a flight, training unit, or if it was also loaded with practice or live ammo... Practice, non explosive, live...explosive.

Oh JP 5 is nasty.

[Are_grits_groceries]

18. Some info:

General Characteristics, Super Hornet, E and F models
Primary Function: Multi-role attack and fighter aircraft.
Contractor: McDonnell Douglas.
Date Deployed: First flight in November 1995. Initial Operational Capability (IOC) in September 2001 with VFA-115, NAS Lemoore, Calif. First cruise for VFA-115 is onboard the USS Abraham Lincoln.
Unit Cost: $57 million
Propulsion: Two F414-GE-400 turbofan engines. 22,000 pounds (9,977 kg) static thrust per engine.
Length: 60.3 feet (18.5 meters).
Height: 16 feet (4.87 meters).
Wingspan: 44.9 feet (13.68 meters).
Weight: Maximum Take Off Gross Weight is 66,000 pounds (29,932 kg).
Airspeed: Mach 1.8+.
Ceiling: 50,000+ feet.
Range: Combat: 1,275 nautical miles (2,346 kilometers), clean plus two AIM-9s
Ferry: 1,660 nautical miles (3,054 kilometers), two AIM-9s, three 480 gallon tanks retained.
Crew: A, C and E models: One
B, D and F models: Two.
Armament: One M61A1/A2 Vulcan 20mm cannon; AIM 9 Sidewinder, AIM-9X (projected), AIM 7 Sparrow, AIM-120 AMRAAM, Harpoon, Harm, SLAM, SLAM-ER (projected), Maverick missiles; Joint Stand-Off Weapon (JSOW); Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM); Data Link Pod; Paveway Laser Guided Bomb; various general purpose bombs, mines and rockets. See the F/A-18 weapons load-out page.
http://www.navy.mil/navydata/fact_display.asp?cid=1100&tid=1200&ct=1

[malaise]

20. Thanks

Did I hear someone on CNN say several seniors lived there?

[A HERETIC I AM]

23. About as big as a tractor trailer

The fuselage, anyway

[malthaussen]

21. I'll just say this

I live two blocks from a former Navy Reserve Air Station. Back in '89, a pilot had a flameout in his A-4 over the residential area across the street from the base. He did not eject, but crashed it himself, taking out part of a house but injuring nobody.

Maybe it was the WSO who ejected, and the pilot stayed with the plane?

-- Mal

[Blue_Tires]

24. both pilots got out; being treated for injuries

[malthaussen]

26. So, we'll wait for the Board of Inquiry

... to see if there was dereliction of duty.

-- Mal

[malaise]

28. An eyewitness says below the wing was in fire before it crashed

Does not appear to be dereliction of duty - they may have actually avoided a school.

[nadinbrzezinski]

29. And mechanical failure

Same family of bird went down here in La Jolla. Pilot ejected, zero stick control. He lost hyfraulics.

[hack89]

30. If the pilot had no control of the plane

then there is no implied obligation to stay with the plane.

[malthaussen]

31. Agreed.

Which is why I'm interested in what the Board will find.

-- Mal

[CJCRANE]

22. Chopper cam on WAVY TV

appears to show three two storey buildings completely burned out, and two buildings with the roofs taken off at the entrance to the complex.

[Blue_Tires]

25. ny post:

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/reported_navy_jet_crashes_in_virginia_c5kGuIa7WVq9AvL5IgseSJ

[malaise]

27. Thanks