F-86 Sabre landing mishap!

[gofaster]

From my weekly AvWeb email.

I know I've done it a time or two, but at least I didn't wreck someone else's airplane.

Gear-Up: Those Who Have, Those Who Haven't Yet
The great thing about gear-up landings is they almost never result in any fatalities, unless you count dying of embarrassment. Somehow you expect guys like retired Capt. Dale Snodgrass (Top Gun grad, Navy Fighter Pilot of the Year) to be outside the grasp of "those who have and those who will," but "Snort" was at the helm of a vintage F-86 that went aluminum on concrete at Davis Monthan Air Force Base in March and it's been determined the only failure was Snodgrass's. "It's hard to believe that a guy with all that experience would not put down his landing gear," retired Maj. Jack Boileau, a former F-86 driver, told KVOA News. Snodgrass declined an interview. Boileau said Snodgrass would have had to be oblivious to warning lights and a cockpit alarm to belly land the F-86 "fighter jet." Snodgrass was training with other warbird pilots for the ensuing air show season when the mishap occurred. An Air Force spokesman told the TV station that it still has confidence in the 10,000-hour pilot (half of them in F-14s) and he remains on the air show schedule. Despite the fire that erupted in one of the jet's wing tanks, damage to the F-86, owned by a California air museum, is said to have been minor.

[LePaul]

Ohhh, snap!

The man could find the cure for cancer, find peace in the middle east and invent faster than light travel...but he'll never...ever...live that down

[AquaShrimp]

"Landing checklists, screw those, I am a Top Gun fighter pilot!  I tell the plane how to fly, it doesn't tell me.  Hmmm, I wonder what all these buzzers and bells rining are for?  *screech*"

[Pooh21]

Originally posted by AquaShrimp
"Landing checklists, screw those, I am a Top Gun fighter pilot!  I tell the plane how to fly, it doesn't tell me.  Hmmm, I wonder what all these buzzers and bells rining are for?  *screech*"

that red light there is annoying good thing I brought this handy black electrical tape. Take that annoying light!

[eagl]

There are those who have landed gear up, and those who have tried.

Fortunately most military pilots get it out of their system during primary training.  The current student penalty at Sheppard AFB for trying to land gear up is to carry around a main gear tire for a week, and that usually does the trick.  We're much more creative with repeat offenders...

[deSelys]

I've heard that you can tell that you've landed gear up if it takes a lot more power to taxi than before...

[rabbidrabbit]

not if you remember to grease the underside!  

It may make ground handling a bit more tricky but you sure save on pesky undercarriage maintenance.

[AquaShrimp]

A couple of years ago, an A-10 pilot landed with his gear up.  He was an avid golfer, and had a full set of golf clubs in his travel pod.  When he belly-landed, the pod burst open and strew golf clubs all down the runway.

[LePaul]

The other thing I've heard stories about forever has been drop tanks.

Over to my base here in Bangor, there's been 3 or 4 that have been told.

Since we're up in Maine, we've had a one tale where a general has filled a drop tank with lobsters to indulge his crew back home.  And on the flight home, some in flight failure has caused the drop tank. with several hundred dollars of lobster. to be ditched.  Thankfully no one has woken up to a punctured roof with 100 lobster splattered in their lawn....yet the Guard hasnt exactly broadcast (or confirmed) they lost a drop tank filled with crustaceans!

[BGBMAW]

The pilot declined to be interviewed..

wow ..cant beleive he doesnt wan tto talk to news reporters about that