B1b crash in Montana..
Discussion
That's a few dollars down the drain!
Crew all ok apparently.
http://news.sky.com/story/1130710/us-air-force-b-1...
Crew all ok apparently.
http://news.sky.com/story/1130710/us-air-force-b-1...
No - it's just a shame that the origin and history of important aircraft gets subsumed into the modern "corporate" image.
If they said something like "Rockwell B1B" and then added a rider such as "Rockwell was merged with Boeing in 1996", that would be better.
I tend to call aircraft after their originators - such as Vickers VC10, AVRO Vulcan or Folland Gnat.
If they said something like "Rockwell B1B" and then added a rider such as "Rockwell was merged with Boeing in 1996", that would be better.
I tend to call aircraft after their originators - such as Vickers VC10, AVRO Vulcan or Folland Gnat.
Frik said:
Funny, i'd say the opposite! I'm always amazed that a large aircraft, doing several hundred knots, and full of thousands of gallons of fuel can hit the ground, explode and really the damage is confined in a relatively small area. Luckily, in the US, there is a lot of open grassland to hit without causing any collateral damage.As an aside, how does the ejection system function in the B1 as there is no canopy to remove?
Max_Torque said:
Funny, i'd say the opposite! I'm always amazed that a large aircraft, doing several hundred knots, and full of thousands of gallons of fuel can hit the ground, explode and really the damage is confined in a relatively small area. Luckily, in the US, there is a lot of open grassland to hit without causing any collateral damage.
As an aside, how does the ejection system function in the B1 as there is no canopy to remove?
I think the photos are disguising the scale of it. With very few reference points it hard to make out, but look at the tail section (?) on the right side. As an aside, how does the ejection system function in the B1 as there is no canopy to remove?
And as far as I know the whole cockpit is built as an ejection module which releases.
DJFish said:
Without sounding like a total nerd, the B1A had an escape capsule, the B1B has standard ejection seats and blow-off panels...I think.
This.Four individual ACES II seats and four separate blow-off panels. Seats can be fired in automatic sequence from any one seat or individually if required. Though individual firing would be unusual as the chances of hitting a crew mate on egress would be higher.
An F111 style capsule would have been cool though. The B1A system was apparently the size of a van.
Here's quite a cool video of the testing of the B1a capsule http://youtu.be/n0TVr0_m34s
It didn't help that the one time the used an escape capsule it didn't work...
On 29 August 1984, B-1A (AF Ser. No. 74-0159) stalled and crashed while performing minimum control speed tests at low altitude. The crew used the escape capsule to leave the bomber, but the parachutes deployed improperly, causing the capsule to hit nose down. The impact killed the B-1's pilot, Rockwell test pilot Doug Benefield, and seriously injured two other crew members.
This one get the award for scaryest.
In October 1990, while flying a training route in eastern Colorado, B-1B (s/n 86-0128) from the 384th Bomb Wing, 28th Bomb Squadron, McConnell AFB, experienced an explosion as the engines reached full power without afterburners. Fire on the aircraft's left was spotted. The #1 engine was shut down and its fire extinguisher was activated. The accident investigation determined that the engine had suffered catastrophic failure, engine blades had cut through the engine mounts and the engine became detached from the aircraft.
So engines embedded in the plane still detach and exit the craft
On 29 August 1984, B-1A (AF Ser. No. 74-0159) stalled and crashed while performing minimum control speed tests at low altitude. The crew used the escape capsule to leave the bomber, but the parachutes deployed improperly, causing the capsule to hit nose down. The impact killed the B-1's pilot, Rockwell test pilot Doug Benefield, and seriously injured two other crew members.
This one get the award for scaryest.
In October 1990, while flying a training route in eastern Colorado, B-1B (s/n 86-0128) from the 384th Bomb Wing, 28th Bomb Squadron, McConnell AFB, experienced an explosion as the engines reached full power without afterburners. Fire on the aircraft's left was spotted. The #1 engine was shut down and its fire extinguisher was activated. The accident investigation determined that the engine had suffered catastrophic failure, engine blades had cut through the engine mounts and the engine became detached from the aircraft.
So engines embedded in the plane still detach and exit the craft
What about this one from wiki:
"In September 1987, B-1B (s/n 84-0052) from the 96th Bomb Wing, 338th Bomb Squadron, Dyess AFB crashed near La Junta, Colorado while flying on a low-level training route. This was the only B-1B crash to occur with six crew members aboard. The two crew members in jump seats, and one of the four crew members in ejection seats perished. The root cause of the accident was thought to be a bird strike on a wing's leading edge during the low-level flight. The impact was severe enough to sever fuel and hydraulic lines on one side of the aircraft, the other side's engines functioned long enough to allow for ejection. The B-1B fleet was later modified to protect these supply lines.[150]"
Imagine being strapped in a blooming jump seat whilst the crew eject!
What a horrible way to check-out. Reminds me of the Vulcan crash where the pilots ejected and left the other crew to perish. Shiver...
"In September 1987, B-1B (s/n 84-0052) from the 96th Bomb Wing, 338th Bomb Squadron, Dyess AFB crashed near La Junta, Colorado while flying on a low-level training route. This was the only B-1B crash to occur with six crew members aboard. The two crew members in jump seats, and one of the four crew members in ejection seats perished. The root cause of the accident was thought to be a bird strike on a wing's leading edge during the low-level flight. The impact was severe enough to sever fuel and hydraulic lines on one side of the aircraft, the other side's engines functioned long enough to allow for ejection. The B-1B fleet was later modified to protect these supply lines.[150]"
Imagine being strapped in a blooming jump seat whilst the crew eject!
What a horrible way to check-out. Reminds me of the Vulcan crash where the pilots ejected and left the other crew to perish. Shiver...
Eric Mc said:
Vulcan "crashes" plural.
All of the V bombers had a crew of five and only two ejection seats.
I can only assume that the RAF looked specifically for a distinct sense of optimism, or alternatively phlegmatic resignation, when deciding who to allocate to Vulcan squadrons as navigators and AEOs! All of the V bombers had a crew of five and only two ejection seats.
Edited by Lurking Lawyer on Thursday 22 August 19:37
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