[coldupnorth]

Apparently, it could have been prevented...

F-16 totaled on takeoff by flat tire - Air Force News, opinions, editorials, news from Iraq, photos, reports - Air Force Times

I was actually wondering if a pilot has to do all his checks (outside and inside) before takeoff in case of a scramble. Anybody knows??

CUPN

[tank nut]

One year down here at shearwater a tornado was coming in to land from performing at the air show we have here and blew out a back tire. Somehow with luck on his side he did not wipe out!! I was watching jetstreams the other day (great show) and the crew chief was going all over the bottom of the plane but I am not sure if the pilot checks that before take off??

[smartd]

I saw a B-52 blow a tire at CFB North Bay back in the 80s. Really tore up the sheet metal. Was grounded for about 4 days.

[djjeffhall]

Drop FormerViperDriver a line. I'm sure he can tell us all about the check proceedures.

[coldupnorth]

Originally Posted by tank nut

I was watching jetstreams the other day (great show) and the crew chief was going all over the bottom of the plane but I am not sure if the pilot checks that before take off??

I was amazed to see how many checks they have to go through before takeoff (around 300 with equipment and computer checks).

[ZS-VAN]

Private pilots do thorough checks that include checking the wheels, tyres and brakes. I've seen air force pilots do similar walk around checks even though the crew chief has been over the aircraft already.

[tank nut]

Originally Posted by coldupnorth

I was amazed to see how many checks they have to go through before takeoff (around 300 with equipment and computer checks).

ME too!! I was watcing jetstream and the cf 18 pilot had to do all 300 in a certain amout of time!!

[FormerViperDriver]

Yes, we do a thorough walk-around ("exterior inspection") before climbing in the jet, and it follows a detailed checklist. In fact, the expression "kick the tires and light the fires" to describe the most cursory form of walk-around immediately followed by engine start shows that if nothing else, you want to check that the tires are inflated. However, we don't carry a tire pressure gauge, so the only way to tell if a tire is under-inflated is by looking at it. If it were conpletely flat, it would be obvious, but if it's just partially under-inflated, it may be tough to tell. The fact that the article states that the investigators used a picture of the plane taken 2 1/2 hours before the accident to assess the loew pressure seems to indicate the pilot should have caught this during pre-flight inspection. Also, I'm surprised he did not notice anything weird while taxiing to the runway, although I'm not sure what the effect would be. I remember sone jets having a tendency to pull to one side ot the other while taxiing, and we would write that up after flight, but that wasn't due to low pressure.

Goes to show it doesn't take much for an accident to happen with these high-performance jets. Tough to tell how much the pilot is at fault, though. Maintenance definitely screwed up.

FVD

[STARMAN 352ND]

Originally Posted by FormerViperDriver

Yes, we do a thorough walk-around ("exterior inspection") before climbing in the jet, and it follows a detailed checklist. In fact, the expression "kick the tires and light the fires" to describe the most cursory form of walk-around immediately followed by engine start shows that if nothing else, you want to check that the tires are inflated. However, we don't carry a tire pressure gauge, so the only way to tell if a tire is under-inflated is by looking at it. If it were conpletely flat, it would be obvious, but if it's just partially under-inflated, it may be tough to tell. The fact that the article states that the investigators used a picture of the plane taken 2 1/2 hours before the accident to assess the loew pressure seems to indicate the pilot should have caught this during pre-flight inspection. Also, I'm surprised he did not notice anything weird while taxiing to the runway, although I'm not sure what the effect would be. I remember sone jets having a tendency to pull to one side ot the other while taxiing, and we would write that up after flight, but that wasn't due to low pressure.

Goes to show it doesn't take much for an accident to happen with these high-performance jets. Tough to tell how much the pilot is at fault, though. Maintenance definitely screwed up.

FVD

In a case like this what happens to the pilot does he get grounded a while ?
Since he was the was the commander of the deployed squadron.
JP

[FormerViperDriver]

Originally Posted by STARMAN 352ND

In a case like this what happens to the pilot does he get grounded a while ?
Since he was the was the commander of the deployed squadron.
JP

Not necessarily. From the article, looks like they are not really putting blame on him. It would depend on how gross an error it was. As I said, in this case, it may have been tough to tell visually that the tire was under-inflated. I'd have to see a picture myself. As far as his actions on takeoff, again, tough to tell. Apparently the accident investigation determined he couldn't tell exactly what was going on from the clues at the time, so he elected to keep it on the ground. Turned out to be the wrong decision, but that's Monday morning quarterbacking. When you only have a split second to make the decision, you do what you think is best to first save your butt, and second save the jet if possible. That's it. In general, the Air Force teaches you that it's not worth your life to make desperate attempts to save a jet. They certainly don't encourage "heroism" in that respect, quite the contrary. If in doubt, get out (that is, eject).

FVD