T45A ditched near Waco Sunday evening

[grinch]

Pilots' Gholson landing still under investigation
By DAVID J. LEE Special to the Tribune-Herald
The U.S. Navy continued its investigation Monday into why two U.S. Marine pilots made an emergency landing in Gholson Sunday evening.

Andrew Thomas, public affairs officer with the Naval Air Station in Kingsville, said late Monday afternoon that investigators didn't know why the two Marine captains were forced to quickly land a T-45 Goshawk training jet just before 7 p.m. in a field just off FM 933 in Gholson, several miles north of Waco.

"It's going to take some time to determine the cause," Thomas said. "We have a crew there now gathering all the facts they can."

Thomas said one of the officers was a trainee, the other an instructor.

"It was a routine training flight," he said.

McLennan County Sheriff Larry Lynch said his deputies were called to the scene to aid the pilots and clear the roadway of traffic.

"Everybody's safe, and we're glad of that," Lynch said.

The pilots were not injured, the sheriff said, and deputies helped transport the pilots to Texas State Technical College airstrip.

"Mostly we just stayed out there until the Army could show up," he said.

The National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration had been notified of the landing, Thomas said. However, he said the investigation remains a military operation.

"Most of the investigation, at least the large percentage, will be done by the military team," Thomas said.

Thomas said the pilots were flying from New Orleans to Kingsville, which is southwest of Corpus Christi.

"They were supposed to stop and fuel up in Waco," he said.

Neither pilot was hurt and there was no property damage, Lynch said.

Thomas said the plane remained in the field Monday afternoon.

"They have to get there and assess the situation without moving things around too much," Thomas said. "Once they've gathered everything they can, they'll start thinking about how they can get it out of there."

Thomas said he wasn't certain whether the plane was airworthy, but that, regardless, it probably wouldn't be flown from the site.

"The last plans I heard were to take it out by train on a flat bed," he said.

 

[SATCFI]

I am not sure why they didn't eject? I've never heard of trying to land a military jet off-airport.

 

[chawbein]

Military jets do have the ablility to glide. I would think it is better to land out in a field and try to save the airplane as best as possible than to eject and make it a total loss. That's just me though.

 

[Toro]

If a pilot puts an airplane down in a field, did he "ditch" it? I thought the term "ditch" was referring to an unplanned water landing....but I've been wrong before.

No, you're right. Ditching refers to 'landing' a jet in the water.

 

[grinch]

You're right...ditching typically means in water. My bust.

There's plenty of speculation going on at my work about this (as with every Navy mishap). According to the articles I've read (waco tribune etc.)...it was two Marine Captains (one student and one instructor) that were on their way from New Orleans back to Kingsville. They were planning to stop in Waco for gas. They did at least one (perhaps more) practice approach(es) at another airport on the way and ran out of gas about 5 miles north of Waco.

Let me just emphasize here how wrong the media frequently is when it comes to reporting about aviation accidents...so as always, take all of this with the appropriate grain of salt.

The T-45 has a RAT (ram air turbine) that deploys when hyrdaulic pressure falls too low (as it would if you starved your only engine of go-go juice). This rat allowed them to control the plane into the field.

The T-45 NATOPS (the Navy's bible for flight aircraft specific flight procedures) does not permit a dead stick landing (even if it's a really nice long runway) i.e. you're supposed to eject if you can't get the engine started again. Again, I don't know why they didn't eject (perhaps this guy is huge and has been told by the flight surgeon that if he ejects out of this plane he's very likely to get killed...this was told to one of the biggest students we have down here so that's at least a possibility).

Rumor here is that the airplane looks like it's still in pretty good shape (all things considered). It will be interesting to see if they even try to repair it or if they scrap it and farm out the parts.

I don't know if they were told to hold, if/when they declared an emergency, or any of about 1,000 other possible factors in this mishap.

 

[grinch]

Here is another article from WACOTRIB.COM

Navy dismisses reports of jet fuel woes
From staff reports
The Navy stayed mum Tuesday on what forced a Navy training jet to land in a field in Gholson Sunday, but some residents of the McLennan County town say the pilots told them they ran out of fuel.

"Well, that's what the pilot said," said 57-year-old Gholson resident Richard Thompson, one of the first to offer aid after the surprise landing. "He ran out of fuel."

Thompson also said the emergency landing in a "boggy field" impressed area residents.

Gholson native Walton Ballew's son, Walton Ballew Jr., was also one of the first on the scene. The elder Ballew said the pilots also told his son they ran out of fuel, forcing them to skid to a halt in a recently plowed field.

Andrew Thomas, public affairs officer at the Naval Air Station in Kingsville, where the jet trainer is based, dismissed such reports and said an investigation into the incident continues.

"It would be pure speculation right now for anyone to say why this occurred," Thomas said Tuesday, adding that Navy officials hope to move the jet to Waco Regional Airport today for further examination.

Navy officials have said the pilots were flying from New Orleans to Kingsville, which is southwest of Corpus Christi, and that they were supposed to refuel the aircraft in Waco.

Regardless of whatever caused the pilots to land the T-45 Goshawk in Gholson, residents say the jet's surprise arrival and continued presence the past few days enlivened the town, located several miles north of Waco.

"It's a source of excitement," Thompson said. "Not much happens out here in Gholson. I told everybody at work, 'Guess what I found in my back yard — $25 million worth of aircraft.'"

 

[Keydet]

Besides the Kingsville PAO, what are the other VT guys saying about it down there? Up in Corpus, we had heard the aircraft was most likely going to be struck.