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U-2 plane crashes. Pilot ejected.

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posted on Sep, 22 2016 @ 07:34 PM
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a reply to: vethumanbeing

Not with the TU-2. It's a trainer. Some of the cameras on the S are remote operated.



posted on Sep, 22 2016 @ 07:37 PM
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originally posted by: Signals
a reply to: FredT

Decades?

Why still train with them then if they don't still run highly confidential missions over any target? What a waste of money if you are right.?

What! this particular plane is easily 50 plus years old; still maintained to fly (cheap) and eventually crash.



posted on Sep, 23 2016 @ 11:14 AM
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According to the base the stand down was only for Beale, and was to allow crews to respond to the accident, secure the site and begin recovery after investigators documented the scene. Flights were set top resume today.

Witnesses reported a loud boom before seeing the pilots eject and the aircraft come down.
edit on 9/23/2016 by Zaphod58 because: (no reason given)



posted on Sep, 23 2016 @ 01:15 PM
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A U-2S launched from Beale AFB at 9:01 this morning in honor of Col Eadie (9th Reconnaissance Wing, 1st Reconnaissance Squadron).



posted on Sep, 23 2016 @ 02:10 PM
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originally posted by: Zaphod58
Witnesses reported a loud boom


Ejection seats tend to do that.



posted on Sep, 23 2016 @ 02:12 PM
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a reply to: justwanttofly

So do compressor stalls. So the question is, which was it.



posted on Sep, 23 2016 @ 06:19 PM
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a reply to: Zaphod58
Sad; sad. What a testimony to a great aircraft that it is still flying and useful. Why not the same accolades for the A10; save that program?

edit on 23-9-2016 by vethumanbeing because: (no reason given)



posted on Sep, 23 2016 @ 06:22 PM
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a reply to: vethumanbeing

The U-2 can perform its mission without having to go into hostile territory, where the A-10 can't.




posted on Sep, 25 2016 @ 11:16 AM
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Does anyone know the reason why the second crewman died and what was its' altitude when the crew ejected?

I can't think of what caused the crash except an airframe failure or fire. If the engine failed, it's an excellent glider so a return to Beale may have been a possibility.

Both pilots ejected which makes me wonder if it was a command ejection or whether they ejected individually since one expired. I ask these questions because they are clues as to the chronology of the accident.



posted on Sep, 25 2016 @ 11:30 AM
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a reply to: buddah6

The aircraft was intact and not on fire when it hit the ground. The three most obvious possibilities are engine failure during climb, control failure (so remote as to be almost non-existent), or stall during climb. It was a command ejection, based on both pilots coming down right next to each other.

The injuries come down to suit type, and seat adjustment. They wear regular flight suits for lower altitude work, and space suits for higher altitude work. Those suits tend to cause slightly more severe injuries due to their weight. The other problem was the original ejection seat. They couldn't be adjusted for pilot height, so they had to use something like plywood to adjust for height. If they used something compressible, injuries tended to be worse because of it. I don't know if they changed the seat or not during the previous upgrades.



posted on Sep, 25 2016 @ 05:53 PM
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originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: vethumanbeing

The U-2 can perform its mission without having to go into hostile territory, where the A-10 can't.


Is 876 his pilot number?



posted on Sep, 25 2016 @ 06:04 PM
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a reply to: Stngray

I think it's related to the number of pilots that have flown the U-2. He was the 876th pilot to fly it. The aircraft tail number was 80-1065.



posted on Sep, 26 2016 @ 04:05 PM
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originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: HomeyKXTA

Looking at the map of the area, it looks like it was on a straight line from the base to impact.

I don't think it was. I've flown the buttes, and have photo's that I took of the touch and go patterns out of Beale. The way this plane hit the ground was not a direct route, at least from my civilian eyes

edit on 9262016 by HomeyKXTA because: Civvy mod


edit on 9262016 by HomeyKXTA because: (no reason given)



posted on Sep, 26 2016 @ 04:08 PM
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a reply to: HomeyKXTA

I don't think they were doing touch and go practice, I think they were climbing out to the range for altitude work. I was just eyeballing it so might be wrong, but they do turn and get on the needed heading during climb.



posted on Sep, 26 2016 @ 04:09 PM
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originally posted by: Zaphod58
According to the base the stand down was only for Beale, and was to allow crews to respond to the accident, secure the site and begin recovery after investigators documented the scene. Flights were set top resume today.

Witnesses reported a loud boom before seeing the pilots eject and the aircraft come down.
flame out?
Or was there something more to the cloud of sky in the air with those parachutes? Hence the stand down?



posted on Sep, 26 2016 @ 04:15 PM
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originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: HomeyKXTA

I don't think they were doing touch and go practice, I think they were climbing out to the range for altitude work. I was just eyeballing it so might be wrong, but they do turn and get on the needed heading during climb.
definitely not touch and go, and the buttes is a great area to gain altitude. We always had to circle over it.
From what I see of the crash site, and, like I said, this is a civilian perspective:
Plane turned right off the airfield, continued for quite some time headed towards yuba city towards the west. Then, they "took a hike" up the buttes. Even before the beginning of that ascent, something went bad. Hence the ejections.
The Chico buttes are a one of a kind "mountain range" they're the smallest mountain range in the world. These pilots knew this.
I think there was an emergency even 3 minutes before the crash.

edit on 9262016 by HomeyKXTA because: (no reason given)



posted on Sep, 26 2016 @ 04:15 PM
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a reply to: HomeyKXTA

They started flying again Friday so it was a pretty short stand down. It could have been a compressor stall, or just the seats going as they punched.

As for the third chute, they were supposed to add a data recorder to the aircraft, so I'm wondering if that's what it was and they went with an ejectable model.



posted on Sep, 26 2016 @ 04:18 PM
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a reply to: Zaphod58

I'm guessing that third parachute report wasn't as crazy as what we first thought.



posted on Apr, 19 2017 @ 09:34 PM
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The aircraft was performing an acceptance flight, to determine if the prospective pilot was to become a member of the U-2 community. They were performing their third near stall maneuver, when the aircraft stalled. They were approaching the uncontrolled minimum altitude for ejection when the instructor ordered the ejection. After clearing the aircraft, the instructor and his seat impacted the outer 5 feet of the right wing.

www.scribd.com...



posted on Apr, 20 2017 @ 08:37 PM
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originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: HomeyKXTA

They can eject equipment apparently, although I've never heard of that before.

There's a rumor, but ONLY a rumor, that one pilot didn't make it, and one was life flighted. That is NOT confirmed at this time.


Using the ejection option can still cause injuries to the pilot or co pilot.
its not uncommon for about 4% of military pilots that eject to never fly high G aircraft again and have to retrain for cargo or helo aircraft.



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