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F-18 crashes into apartment complex

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VIRGINIA BEACH, VA (RNN) - An F-/A-18D Hornet Navy fight jet crashed into an apartment building near Virginia Beach on Friday. The two-man crew ejected, and there are reports of injuries on the ground.

A spokesperson with the Navy told WAVY.com that the plane was an F18 Strike fighter squadron 106, based at the Ocean Naval Air Station in Virginia.
Sentara Healthcare is treating one pilot is at Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital, according to WAVY.com.
Stretchers have been brought to the scene. The Navy has not released the condition of the crew, however both ejected. One of the crewmembers was found on the ground, still strapped to his seat, in shock, according to witnesses.
http://www.wtvm.com/story/17351737/f-18-crashes-near-virginia-beach
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http://www.wtvm.com/story/17351737/f-18-crashes-near-virginia-beach

Video from scene...

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=286541891421919&set=o.115682686145&type=3

120406052739-jet-crash-close-up-story-top.jpg
 
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One thing that concerns me, of all the articles I've read on this so far, there is absolutely no mention of the status of any of the apartment residents.
 
Definitely not a great day to wreck into a residential area seeing as many schools have Good Friday off. My thoughts go out to those who may have been harmed!
 
Provided that no one was hurt, then at least it was good that it was the "cheap" jet they crashed.. and not that flying money box called the F-22.
 
The first line in the quoted article says "The two-man crew ejected, and there are reports of injuries on the ground."

Does that not count as reported injuries?
 
Samhain said:
The first line in the quoted article says "The two-man crew ejected, and there are reports of injuries on the ground."

Does that not count as reported injuries?
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What, I gotta read the whole first sentence?
 
Samhain said:
The first line in the quoted article says "The two-man crew ejected, and there are reports of injuries on the ground."

Does that not count as reported injuries?
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I read a different source than the quoted article. Sorry there is only one article for the subject.
 
We had a similar event here in San Diego in '08, a F-18 crashed into a house killing 4 (Wife, 2 daughters and MIL). The pilot was on a carrier mission, developed engine(s) trouble, was told to land at an inland field (Miramar) instead of the ocean approach at North Island. Needless to say, he didn't make it. The govt admitted fault, admitted that he should have been directed to NAS North Island...and only paid out $17M to the husband.

I hope this incident turns out better.
 
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I am hoping with all my hope that there are no or as little as possible victims.
 
U.S. Navy jet crashes in Virginia; 2 pilots believed to have ejected

U.S. Navy jet crashes in Virginia; 2 pilots believed to have ejected | The Lookout - Yahoo! News

Several media reports say that a U.S. Navy F/A-18 Hornet jet has crashed in Virginia, with the two pilots believed to have ejected before impact.There are currently no reports of injuries on the ground. Several photos from the crash are popping up on social media sites, showing the plane wreckage and black smoke rising from nearby buildings.
The Virginian-Pilot newspaper quotes a spokesman for Naval Air Force Atlantic who says the F/A-18 Hornet crashed Friday.
Virginia Department of Transportation traffic cameras showed black smoke rising from the Birdneck Road area of Virginia Beach at 12:30 p.m. local time, FoxNews reports.
MSNBC is reporting that a local witness told the network the jet crashed into a local two-story apartment building. They are also reporting that two individuals have been admitted to nearby Sentara Virginia Beach Hospital in connection with the crash, according to a public information officer at the facility. One of the individuals is reportedly one of the two pilots who ejected form the plane, while another is a civilian who is suffering from smoke inhalation.
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... was it an inside job? What was the government hiding in that apartment building? Was there oil under this building?
 
I am torn on something here. If you are a pilot and your plane is heading toward anything residential is it ok to bailout and say screw it to save your own ass? Also I am curious if there is anything he could have done even if he hadn't bailed to avoid hitting an apartment building? I've never flown so I am not sure. But I tend to beleive that if the pilot could have missed an apartment building, even at the expense of his own life, he should have done it.
 
Re: U.S. Navy jet crashes in Virginia; 2 pilots believed to have ejected

Hatuey said:
U.S. Navy jet crashes in Virginia; 2 pilots believed to have ejected | The Lookout - Yahoo! News



... was it an inside job? What was the government hiding in that apartment building? Was there oil under this building?
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The Obama administration is trying to make sure we don't know about the bad boat prototypes that was brought up in a earlier thread....

or

The republicans want to show the country how cutting the military hurts us.
 
Re: U.S. Navy jet crashes in Virginia; 2 pilots believed to have ejected

Moderator's Warning:
Threads merged.
 
Re: U.S. Navy jet crashes in Virginia; 2 pilots believed to have ejected

Hope everyone is okay. Must have been scary for anyone that was still home.
 
Re: U.S. Navy jet crashes in Virginia; 2 pilots believed to have ejected

You all need to refrain from your derogatory comments. This isn't a laughing matter.

I live 40 miles from Virginia Beach and have friends and family who live in that city, though none live near the crash scene. That scene is heart-breaking to watch on TV. There are hundreds of police and emt units on the scene as well as military fire trucks. It is so bad that police have run the media out so that rescue units can get in and start sifting through looking for survivors if there are any. So far, 5 civilians have been taken to the hospital, who were out walking near the scene. Right now, the media doesn't know what is going on, which is a good thing. It keeps media elements from rushing to report news before they get the whole story. There is going to be a media meeting with rescue officials at 3: 00 PM Eastern Standard Time, so maybe we will get some more information as to what is going on or if anyone has lost their life.
 
muciti said:
I am torn on something here. If you are a pilot and your plane is heading toward anything residential is it ok to bailout and say screw it to save your own ass? Also I am curious if there is anything he could have done even if he hadn't bailed to avoid hitting an apartment building? I've never flown so I am not sure. But I tend to beleive that if the pilot could have missed an apartment building, even at the expense of his own life, he should have done it.
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The crash occurred right after takeoff, and the plane had not built up enough speed yet. This plane is so heavy that if it loses power immediately, it will take a nose dive and there is not much that a pilot can do to control it. Unofficial word is that the pilot rode it down as far as he could, all the while dumping fuel, to make the plane lighter and more controllable as well as minimizing more fuel for the fire. He was trying to head for the ocean but didn't have enough time to make it to the ocean. As a result, he had to blow the canopy and eject. The pilot landed in a guy's back yard, and he was still in the ejection seat. This guy where the pilot landed, was a retired search and rescue EMT so he administered first aid until they could get the pilot to the hospital. Both pilots have non-threatening injuries. The fact that they were injured showed they tried to steer that plane out of harm's way. They were real close to the ocean, but couldn't make it that far.
 
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Re: U.S. Navy jet crashes in Virginia; 2 pilots believed to have ejected

Blue_State said:
The Obama administration is trying to make sure we don't know about the bad boat prototypes that was brought up in a earlier thread....

or

The republicans want to show the country how cutting the military hurts us.
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I do military contract analysis, and you have no clue what you are talking about.

As far as this crash, Oceana Naval Air station has been in VB for many years, when all this land was farm land. The city of Virginia Beach has allowed way too much development to grow up around this military base. Something like this crash was bound to happen and unfortunately with the risk of loss of life. I hope that somehow people made it out alive, but I don't know how that is possible.
 
I'm in Va Beach right now - that plane (or one like it) flew low as crap over the restaraunt I was eating lunch at.
 
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Re: U.S. Navy jet crashes in Virginia; 2 pilots believed to have ejected

soccerboy22 said:
Hope everyone is okay. Must have been scary for anyone that was still home.
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I can only imagine because last August when Virginia had that earthquake, I was on the top floor of a building that started shaking and swaying. Nobody knew what was happening, especially when the announcement came over the PA system to evacuate the building until "We discover what is shaking the building."

I can only imagine what these people experienced at ground zero.
 
Re: U.S. Navy jet crashes in Virginia; 2 pilots believed to have ejected

bicycleman said:
I can only imagine because last August when Virginia had that earthquake, I was on the top floor of a building that started shaking and swaying. Nobody knew what was happening, especially when the announcement came over the PA system to evacuate the building until "We discover what is shaking the building."

I can only imagine what these people experienced at ground zero.
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Yeah my girlfriend was in DC at that time and trying to get in touch with her was a major pain in the ass because cell phones were not working very well.
 
Re: U.S. Navy jet crashes in Virginia; 2 pilots believed to have ejected

soccerboy22 said:
Yeah my girlfriend was in DC at that time and trying to get in touch with her was a major pain in the ass because cell phones were not working very well.
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If you ever get in another jam like that, remember to text your loved ones. Text messages get through when voice messages won't.
 
bicycleman said:
The crash occurred right after takeoff, and the plane had not built up enough speed yet. This plane is so heavy that if it loses power immediately, it will take a nose dive and there is not much that a pilot can do to control it. Unofficial word is that the pilot rode it down as far as he could, all the while dumping fuel, to make the plane lighter and more controllable as well as minimizing more fuel for the fire. He was trying to head for the ocean but didn't have enough time to make it to the ocean. As a result, he had to blow the canopy and eject. The pilot landed in a guy's back yard, and he was still in the ejection seat. This guy where the pilot landed, was a retired search and rescue EMT so he administered first aid until they could get the pilot to the hospital. Both pilots have non-threatening injuries. The fact that they were injured showed they tried to steer that plane out of harm's way. They were real close to the ocean, but couldn't make it that far.
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The fact that they were injured doesn't show anything. Ejections are dangerous even under ideal circumstances.

Of course, the pilot probably did try to steer the plane out of harm's way because that's what you do under the circumstances.
 
Re: U.S. Navy jet crashes in Virginia; 2 pilots believed to have ejected

bicycleman said:
If you ever get in another jam like that, remember to text your loved ones. Text messages get through when voice messages won't.
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I mean I first sent her a text because I assumed her mother would call her first, but she never responded so I got worried and started calling.
 
muciti said:
I am torn on something here. If you are a pilot and your plane is heading toward anything residential is it ok to bailout and say screw it to save your own ass? Also I am curious if there is anything he could have done even if he hadn't bailed to avoid hitting an apartment building? I've never flown so I am not sure. But I tend to beleive that if the pilot could have missed an apartment building, even at the expense of his own life, he should have done it.
Click to expand...

Wondered the same thing. I can't imagine the stark terror of those last few moments.
 
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