From: raveling@Unify.com (Paul Raveling)
Subject: Re: Looking for F-4 Story
Organization: Unify Corporation (Sacramento)
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 92 20:06:55 GMT

In article <9032@travis.csd.harris.com>, gerry@hcx1.ssd.csd.harris.com (Gerry Baumgartner) writes:
> Hope someone can help.  I'm looking for a story that was posted on this forum
> sometime ago.  It was about an F-4 being guided in on a GCA approach...
> 
> ...  If anyone out there has it
> or knows the whereabouts of it, could you please post or e-mail me?  Thanks.

	This is one that Shelley Rosenbaum posted on May 17, 1988.
	It's a truly amazing tale, definitely worth repeating, so
	my transcript of Shelley's message follows below.


------------------
Paul Raveling
Raveling@Unify.com

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A friend of mine sent this to me.  I don't know where he
got it from, or its veracity, but it makes for interesting
reading!

================================================================================
Note 52.2                    Your Air Force is Awake                      2 of 5
HAMPS::HILL "Nick Hill - UK Corp. Actts"            116 lines  16-MAY-1988 08:34
                        -< and one for the USN flyers >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

			HOW ROUGH CAN IT GET?
			~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
	Re-typed from an incident report circa 1972.
 
 
Present day aircraft tend to be viewed as highly sensitive
instruments.
 
The McDonnell Douglas Phantom is a modern highly sophisticated weapons
system.
 
A U.S. Navy Phantom took off one evening to build up night and
simulated instrument time with a mirror landing practice on a local
airfield.
 
A Tacan penetration with GCA pick-up was commenced in a mirror landing
sequence, the final controller assuming control at 9 miles.  At 3
miles the Phantom was established on the glide path and continued in
to 1/2 mile, at which point the controller instructed the pilot to
take over on visual.
 
GCA control, however, continued to transmit "on glide path and course"
information throughout the remainder of the approach.  This
information was false.
 
The Phantom pilot checked the mirror and realised, despite GCA
information, that he was undershooting.  He applied full combat power.
 
The aircraft struck the ground 50 ft. short of the runway, colliding
with an 18 inch mound of earth and then bouncing into a 2 ft. deep
trench just 5 ft. short of the threshold.
 
On final impact the port main gear was torn off at the trunnions and
the starboard wheel sheared at the axle stub and ran ahead of the
aircraft down the runway.  Both wing tips were torn off.
 
The pilot saw sparks in the rear view mirror and called up to report
damage.  The aircraft carried on down the runway and became airborne.
 
The Landing Safety Officer, who had just come on duty, was requested
to check the state of the aircraft on fly-over.  Although it was dark,
he did not use an Aldis lamp but reported the damage to the pilot as
"a burst starboard tyre".
 
It was decided to effect a short field arrestment on the secondary
runway to avoid closing the main runway.  The LSO asked for a
communications equipped truck so that he could control the arrested
landing.  The truck arrived without communications equipment.
 
While efforts were being made to get the ground/air communications
equipment, the Phantom orbited the field.  Hydraulic warning lights
came on but all three systems indicated normal pressure.  The pilot
blew down gear and flap as a precaution.  Shortly after this the power
controls' hydraulics failed, so he extended the ram air turbine.
 
By this time the communications equipment had arrived and the LSO
called for a low pass, to "establish proper alignment with the
secondary runway".  During this pass, with the entire port main gear,
the starboard wheel and both wing tips missing, the LSO called up the
pilot to say that he could not see the arrestor hook.  The pilot
checked the gear and hook and reported "All down and locked".  The LSO
then advised him to make a normal approach on the centre line.
 
The approach and attempted arrestment were normal, but on touchdown
the port engine flamed out.  The aircraft settled, sliced through
both arrestor cables and with sparks flying, the left wing began to
drag on the concrete.
 
The LSO advised the pilot to cut throttles and stay down.  But the
pilot was losing directional control and was running off the runway.
He selected starboard after burner and got the Phantom back in the
air.  The tail plane skinning was torn, the arrestor hook forced up
fouling its housing, and both jet pipe nozzles fractured.  The left
wing skinning was torn.
 
After this, the pilot somewhat heatedly asked the LSO to check the
gear again.  After another low pass, this time illuminated, the LSO
relayed "some gear damage" to the pilot.  This was confirmed almost
immediately by the duty truck arriving with the port main gear and
starboard wheel.  This latter evidence was not reported to the pilot.
 
Another arrestment was set up, this time with the runway foamed.  The
pilot managed to re-light the port engine.
 
The tower, at this juncture, requested Coast Guard to provide a rescue
helicopter at the scene.
 
The second attempted arrest (third touchdown) was commenced with 1,000
lb. fuel remaining.  Touchdown was 3,000 ft. short of the cables and
once again the Phantom cut straight through the cables and skidded
down the runway, tearing out several large panels from the lower
fuselage.
 
The pilot applied full afterburner and once more got the Phantom into
the air.  The handling was described as "marginal".
 
Once more the runway was foamed and cables belayed to the chain
arrestor gear.  With 800 lb. fuel remaining the Phantom made a good
approach but was again short, hit the cables at a high speed and
severed both of them, tearing off the nose gear and doors in the
process.
 
With full afterburner, the pilot once more managed to get the aircraft
into the air, by now with a "dangerously low" fuel state.  He decided
to do a Martin Baker let-down and headed for the coast.
 
Climbing laboriously at about 1,500 feet the Phantom rolled violently
to the right and pieces fell off both wings.  The second man ejected
as the pilot brought the aircraft level over the coast.  The pilot was
able to eject just before the Phantom dived into the sea.
 
Both men were located and picked up by the Coast Guard helicopter and
returned to the base, unhurt.  The condition of the LSO is not known.

-- 
Shelley Rosenbaum; AT&T Bell Labs; (201) 949-3615
{ihnp4, allegra, cbosgd}!ho95c!slr  or  slr@ho95c.att.arpa

"Doesn't she count?"  "Only to 10, Mudhead."  (Satisfied, steVe?)


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