F/A-18C Hornet Crash

[Andrea75]

Marine F/A-18C Hornet Crash

 

A Marine F/A-18C Hornet crashed in a remote range area of the Fallon Range Training Complex at approximately 3:15 p.m. CDT Sept. 1.

 

The pilot ejected safely from the aircraft and was treated at Banner Churchill Community Hospital in Fallon for minor injuries and has been released.

 

The pilot and aircraft are from Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 323, based at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. VMFA 323 is part of Carrier Air Wing 11, which is currently conducting routine training at Naval Air Station Fallon.

 

No one on the ground was hurt in the incident. The cause of the mishap is under investigation.

 

Il blog "The Aviationist", oltre a dare la notizia, ripercorre gli ultimi incidenti:

 

U.S. Marine Corps F/A-18C crashes at NAS Fallon, Nevada. The last of a series of Hornet incidents

 

On Apr. 6, at around 12.15 local time, a VFA-106 Hornet based at NAS Oceana went down for a dual engine failure. While no one was killed in the accident, several people were treated at local hospitals for injuries, including both pilots, a student pilot and an instructor, which successfully ejected at low altitude.

 

The investigation found that the Hornet crashed for a dual, unrelated engine failure, an occurrence tha is extraordinary unusual. The right engine stalled after it ingested a flammable liquid whereas the the left engine’s afterburner did not ignite for reasons that could not be determined because of the extensive damage to the plane.

 

On Dec. 8, 2008, a USMC F/A-18D (BuNo 164017) lost the only working engine (the other one had been shut down following a oil caution light shortly after departure from USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier) because of a fuel flow system problem that had not been fixed since it was identified. As a consequence of the loss of both engines (as well as a series of contributing factors, including errors by the pilot and Marine Corps personnel on the ground, who were later disciplined or relieved), the Marines Hornet, belonging to the VMFAT-101, crashed into a residential area of San Diego while attempting an emergency landing at MCAS Miramar, causing the death of four people.