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Post by daoleguy A.J. Hoehn (deceased) on Jan 9, 2008 6:52:29 GMT 9
Just curious if anyone has any good ones. I've heard a few. One in particular was about a troop ejecting himself in the hangar and getting embedded in the ceiling. Hmmmm. Then there was the guy cut in half in the tire shop when a rim exploded hitting him. I love how "tales" evolve. Most I am sure had a real life base, just made more exciting by the telling party.
The best I heard was about the crew chief cut in half by the missile bay doors. Don'tcha love how we can spin some goodies, especially at the cost of the new JEEPs nerves? I think the supreme one was how chow halls put salt peter in the coffee to quell the horniness of the troops.
AJ
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Post by Cougar on Jan 9, 2008 7:19:57 GMT 9
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sixerviper
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Post by sixerviper on Jan 14, 2008 1:43:53 GMT 9
Before I retired I saw an article, complete with pictures, about an F-15 rookie crew chief who unbolted the two halves of a nosewheel without deflating the tire first. The entire upper half of his dead body was a bloody pulp plastered up against a C-10 air conditioner parked next to the nose of the jet. I can believe the one about the tire shop. That's why they all have that heavy cage for the first inflation.
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ritchie1selfridge
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Post by ritchie1selfridge on Apr 14, 2008 1:06:09 GMT 9
I first heard about the ejection myth in 1963 when we were TDY out of Selfridge to Bunker Hill AFB (now Grissom) and they had a newly painted spot on the hangar ceiling where supposedly the CC had hit I think they repainted that spot every 6 months or so.
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deuel
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Post by deuel on Apr 23, 2008 9:15:29 GMT 9
I was at Bunker Hill from 1960 to 1963 and that story about the in hangar ejection was still going around, but it never happened there it always happened at some other base. I heard it happened at Davis-Mothan and Langley. We did have an accidentally armed seat that sat in the hangar while some very nervous armament troops
gingerly rendered it safe. It was one of the rocket seats that they installed to replace the older ejection seat, and it was a lot more comfortable!
deuel
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az09
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Post by az09 on May 6, 2008 2:57:20 GMT 9
1966 - Dyess AFB, Tx - 516yh TCWg - Phase Inspection Section
Myth or not --------Our first Safety briefing about walking around operating aircraft is stay away from the rotating props and the intakes of Turbo-jets.
The prop can and has decapitated very surprised workers. Men have been lifted off their feet and ingested into jet engine intakes.
1983 - Randolph AFB, Tx - We are assailed by managements desire to "lead" the way in suggestions. So the flightline guys are sitting around the breakroom table talking about the suggestion program. One of the "new" guys had suggested some idea he had suggested at RAF Lakenheath and that it would probablay work here at Randolph. He put it in and he got $100 for his idea again.
When the guys heard this they started up the suggestion mill. My section must have pumped in about 25 suggestions. One was a left side aircraft intake screen for the T-37 aircraft. The reason being, when doing full power run-ups the ground guy sometimes walks up to look into the cockpit. One ground guy did that and was sucked butt first into the open intake. The cockpit guy got the engine shut down so the guy wasn't killed. However the "suckee" walked around with a "Gianormess" hickey on his right butt cheek.
This suggestion was approved and the material ordered to make up one screen. Months went by and the Suggestion Monitor for the base calls me and asks if I had got my material yet. I tell her I must check with supply and find out as I hav'nt heard anything.
Supply tells me it was delivered to the Squadron Welding Shop. So I head over the Welding Shop and by buddy who runs the shop. Yes, he got the material, and yes the Squadron Maintenance Superintendent had purloined the material to make Squadron Bar-b-Q Grills.
I go and talk with the "Super" and he tells me the suggestion was crap and he won't build it. This is the same guy who started this suggestion influx. Then I used his own favorite line on him. I handed him the suggestion and the telephone number of the Base Monitor and said, "handle it".
The look on his face was worth all the aggravation. His shoulders dropped and said, OK, Murphy - get out!!
I never heard another word about suggestions , screens, or Bar-B-Q grills.
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dnbeven
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Post by dnbeven on Apr 24, 2009 16:01:11 GMT 9
NO myth, this did actually happen. In 78 a guy at Spangdalhem AFB committed suicide by ejecting in an F-4 into the center beam at hanger #3. I was there when it happened. They scrapped some of the remains off the beam and then used a hi-power spray washer.
I also witnessed a flat nosed refueling truck hit the leading wing edge of a parked Danish F-100 head on at Spangdalhem. It knocked the F-100 out of the chalks and it just missed my bread truck that I was driving. I called in the 10-10-10 emergency. Unfortunately the accident killed the fuel truck driver. I spend several hours with OSI explaining what I had seen.
I also was told about the F-106 bay doors cutting a weapons troop in half because he didn't use the door locks. It worked on me!!! Scared the crap out of me.
:fire_missle_ani
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Bullhunter
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Post by Bullhunter on Apr 24, 2009 16:57:36 GMT 9
My friend who was the bestman at our wedding told me about a day on the Nellis AFB flightline.
One of his friends was working on another F-4 several aircraft away when he heard an ejection seat fire.
His friend died only about 100 yards away.
Ejection seats are very dangerous and demand respect and cautions.
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Post by dude on May 14, 2009 9:21:15 GMT 9
NO myth, this did actually happen. In 78 a guy at Spangdalhem AFB committed suicide by ejecting in an F-4 into the center beam at hanger #3. I was there when it happened. They scrapped some of the remains off the beam and then used a hi-power spray washer.   I remember hearing about Spang down at Seymour Johnson circa '85. We were doing kitproofing on the 307 FDT. We were in one side of those double hangars they have. One day we were working and heard this loud bang/thud come from the hangar next door. Soon after the place was swarming with APs. Later, one of the APs told me that a TSGT had tried to committ suicide by duplicating the Spang event. (First I'd heard of Spang). Fortunately for him the canopy didn't fully separate so the seat didn't fire. Unfortunate for him the canopy flopped back down crooked and wacked him over the head and knocked him out. |
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Post by Jeff Shannon on May 14, 2009 12:39:42 GMT 9
NO myth, this did actually happen. In 78 a guy at Spangdalhem AFB committed suicide by ejecting in an F-4 into the center beam at hanger #3. I was there when it happened. They scrapped some of the remains off the beam and then used a hi-power spray washer. I remember hearing about Spang down at Seymour Johnson circa '85. We were doing kitproofing on the 307 FDT. We were in one side of those double hangars they have. One day we were working and heard this loud bang/thud come from the hangar next door. Soon after the place was swarming with APs. Later, one of the APs told me that a TSGT had tried to committ suicide by duplicating the Spang event. (First I'd heard of Spang). Fortunately for him the canopy didn't fully separate so the seat didn't fire. Unfortunate for him the canopy flopped back down crooked and wacked him over the head and knocked him out. DUDE what type of aircraft are you talking about with your incident? I know the F-4 can be very unforgiving as most ejection seats can be. There is a way to eject thru the canopy, how ever you have to discover and disable the canopy interrupt, they vary by aircraft and are designed so the canopy will leave the aircraft BEFORE the seat does. There are some systems where the canopy has explosive cord thru out it where the transparency is blown out (so to speak) then the seat goes thru it. The T-33 and T-38 seat and a few others have canopy piercers on top of the seats which they say if the canopy didn't go they would go thru the transparency. I personally would not like to take that ride!! I was and accident investigator for Egress system and never had to investigate someone trying to commit suicide, just a couple of aircraft which had gone in and the pilot didn't get out. They were all F-16 accidents. I did read some reports about people who had tried the ejection seat suicide trick. Most lived a few hours before sub coming to their injuries, a few went quickly! |
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Bullhunter
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Post by Bullhunter on May 14, 2009 13:02:19 GMT 9
The OV-10 Bronco did not have a removable canopy that blew away on ejection. If you need to eject you went through the canopy!  You climbed in and out through the side windows  This is me just before an FCF flight. I dont have a photo of the canopy striker. Sorry. PhotoBucket screwing up tonight. I'll try the photo again later. :angry |
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Post by jimpadgett on May 14, 2009 20:42:56 GMT 9
I had heard the story about the Armament bay doors bisecting someone, too. It may have been started to instill fear. It worked with me.
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Post by dude on May 14, 2009 23:43:26 GMT 9
I remember hearing about Spang down at Seymour Johnson circa '85. We were doing kitproofing on the 307 FDT. We were in one side of those double hangars they have. One day we were working and heard this loud bang/thud come from the hangar next door. Soon after the place was swarming with APs. Later, one of the APs told me that a TSGT had tried to committ suicide by duplicating the Spang event. (First I'd heard of Spang). Fortunately for him the canopy didn't fully separate so the seat didn't fire. Unfortunate for him the canopy flopped back down crooked and wacked him over the head and knocked him out. DUDE what type of aircraft are you talking about with your incident? I know the F-4 can be very unforgiving as most ejection seats can be. There is a way to eject thru the canopy, how ever you have to discover and disable the canopy interrupt, they vary by aircraft and are designed so the canopy will leave the aircraft BEFORE the seat does. There are some systems where the canopy has explosive cord thru out it where the transparency is blown out (so to speak) then the seat goes thru it. The T-33 and T-38 seat and a few others have canopy piercers on top of the seats which they say if the canopy didn't go they would go thru the transparency. I personally would not like to take that ride!! I was and accident investigator for Egress system and never had to investigate someone trying to commit suicide, just a couple of aircraft which had gone in and the pilot didn't get out. They were all F-16 accidents. I did read some reports about people who had tried the ejection seat suicide trick. Most lived a few hours before sub coming to their injuries, a few went quickly! Well it was definitely an F-4E with a Martin Baker seat with face curtain if that helps. I'm not an egress guru, so I can only tell you what the AP told me. I do remember seeing the canopy laying on the floor the next day. My boss at the time was a retired F-4 avionics E-8. He wasn't there but I remember when we told him about it he mentioned something about a canopy initiator and then something about a guillotine. Again I don't speaky egress very well, so I'm not sure that has any bearing. :tailed-devil |
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Post by Jeff Shannon on May 15, 2009 4:44:04 GMT 9
Well it was definitely an F-4E with a Martin Baker seat with face curtain if that helps. I'm not an egress guru, so I can only tell you what the AP told me. I do remember seeing the canopy laying on the floor the next day. My boss at the time was a retired F-4 avionics E-8. He wasn't there but I remember when we told him about it he mentioned something about a canopy initiator and then something about a guillotine. Again I don't speaky egress very well, so I'm not sure that has any bearing.  OK lets see if I remember correctly, the canopy laying on the floor and the seat not leaving the aircraft. there is and interrupter on the Martin Baker which is 90% mechanical one of the reasons it's so deadly. I would have to read the report on it, there are several scenarios on how it could happen, was he standing up facing the back of the seat , was he sitting down and pulled the face curtain or D-ring, was the seat dearmed. The canopy is removed from the aircraft by air pressure, when it leaves there is a lanyard connected to a initiator which when fired send gas pressure to the seat catapult to fire, there's the time delay to prevent the seat from hitting the canopy. He is one lucky guy for living thru it. From the time you pull on the D-ring, face curtain and the canopy leaves, seat leaves the aircraft and you are under a full chute looking at the earth is only about 3.5 seconds. During accident investigation school we learned more about the systems we would be dealing with, for example the F-16 seat catapults are designed for the weight of the seat, weight of the survival kits, and approximately 180LBS aircrew member, now with all this weight the catapult will put you up high enough for seat man separation and chute to deploy, approximately 300 feet. Now remove all this weight and fire the catapult and the propellant will finish burning out when it clears the 3,000 foot mark, basically you have an unguided missile. |
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Post by dude on May 15, 2009 5:49:08 GMT 9
Well it was definitely an F-4E with a Martin Baker seat with face curtain if that helps. I'm not an egress guru, so I can only tell you what the AP told me. I do remember seeing the canopy laying on the floor the next day. My boss at the time was a retired F-4 avionics E-8. He wasn't there but I remember when we told him about it he mentioned something about a canopy initiator and then something about a guillotine. Again I don't speaky egress very well, so I'm not sure that has any bearing. OK lets see if I remember correctly, the canopy laying on the floor and the seat not leaving the aircraft. there is and interrupter on the Martin Baker which is 90% mechanical one of the reasons it's so deadly. I would have to read the report on it, there are several scenarios on how it could happen, was he standing up facing the back of the seat , was he sitting down and pulled the face curtain or D-ring, was the seat dearmed. The canopy is removed from the aircraft by air pressure, when it leaves there is a lanyard connected to a initiator which when fired send gas pressure to the seat catapult to fire, there's the time delay to prevent the seat from hitting the canopy. He is one lucky guy for living thru it. From the time you pull on the D-ring, face curtain and the canopy leaves, seat leaves the aircraft and you are under a full chute looking at the earth is only about 3.5 seconds. During accident investigation school we learned more about the systems we would be dealing with, for example the F-16 seat catapults are designed for the weight of the seat, weight of the survival kits, and approximately 180LBS aircrew member, now with all this weight the catapult will put you up high enough for seat man separation and chute to deploy, approximately 300 feet. Now remove all this weight and fire the catapult and the propellant will finish burning out when it clears the 3,000 foot mark, basically you have an unguided missile. I have no clue what his orientation in the seat was. I just assumed he sat in it like everyone else. But who knows. My guess is the seat was not dearmed. I say that only because the one we were working on in the other hangar was a hot seat. I know this because they made us sit through an egress briefing before they let us on the plane and stressed that it was standard practice at Seymour not to dearm the seats when the put the birds in the sheds. I hadn't thought about this in well over 20 years, but your mention of the lanyard jiggled a few more memorygrams. I remember them talking about having to cut the lanyard to remove the canopy in order to get him out of the cockpit. So my guess is that's why the seat didn't fire and why the canopy was on the floor. Guess he'd argue how lucky he was. Apparently this was all about a divorce he was going through. I wonder if he's still alive today and ever thinks back to that time and goes, "Whew". |
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I remember hearing about Spang down at Seymour Johnson circa '85. We were doing kitproofing on the 307 FDT. We were in one side of those double hangars they have. One day we were working and heard this loud bang/thud come from the hangar next door. Soon after the place was swarming with APs. 
