F-16 Accidentally Blown Up By Technician

I used to work F-16s... on the weapons system.

To ground-fire that gun requires an extreme amount of stupidity.

First, the gun system was loaded... then, 2 safety devices on the gun itself have to be removed (1 mechanical, 1 electrical). There is also a "weight on wheels" switch that has to be bypassed... the gun also has to be selected in the cockpit. This is not something that just happens on accident. This was gross negligence.

They are extremely lucky that there were no fatalities.

a reply to: madmac5150

The only thing I can think of is he was troubleshooting something gun related and took shortcuts.

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: madmac5150

The only thing I can think of is he was troubleshooting something gun related and took shortcuts.

I would be lying if I said I had never seen that... the mechanical gun safing device (it's called a clearing sector hold-back tool) was ONLY removed before flight, or when the ammo was downloaded. Period. This tool keeps the 20 mm rounds from being chambered and fired. You can spin the gun, and check it electrically with nearly zero chance of firing a single round.

In any case, it was beyond stupid.

a reply to: madmac5150

It wouldn't be the first stupid thing I've seen done during maintenance. One of my personal favorites was the tech doing a pressurization check on a -135 using a homemade pressure gauge. He apparently missed that it had already gone around once, and read it as being lower than it actually was. The fuselage failed so badly they found bits of it a quarter mile away.

This meme almost seems like it was made in advance for this technician, wasn't it?

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: madmac5150

It wouldn't be the first stupid thing I've seen done during maintenance. One of my personal favorites was the tech doing a pressurization check on a -135 using a homemade pressure gauge. He apparently missed that it had already gone around once, and read it as being lower than it actually was. The fuselage failed so badly they found bits of it a quarter mile away.

I had to dodge burning counter-measure flares once, when I worked on the "lawn dart" (the F-16, for the civilians out there)... an avionics guy was doing a check on the counter-measure system with a full load of chaff and flare installed... a huge no-no... and, no safety pin ...

...he rippled off 6 of them, and they actually bounce all over the place when fired on the tarmac.

(Counter-measure flares burn at several thousand degrees... seeing them bounce all over the pavement was a bit frightening... like dodge ball with a chance of fatal injuries...)

One of those flares nearly hit one of my airman. Fortunately, he saw it... and, for a few seconds, he was the fastest white kid on the planet. His boots left bigger scorch marks on the concrete, than the flares did.

We got lucky that day, as the flares didn't hit any aircraft or Airmen...

Imagine the look on his face when it fired.

a reply to: madmac5150

My father worked B-52s in the first part of his career. He was in Southeast Asia, and they were recovering jets when of the other crew chiefs grounded the flare dispenser before they emptied it. He said it turned into noon for a few minutes.

originally posted by: AdmireTheDistance
Imagine the look on his face when it fired.

If it was me in the cockpit, and I managed to fire the gun during ground maintenance...

The look on my face would be irrelevant... the smell in my pants, however...

a reply to: madmac5150

Imagine the look on everyone else's face when they heard that sound.

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: madmac5150

Imagine the look on everyone else's face when they heard that sound.

If they were within a few hundred yards of it, they would make their pants dirty... they would have some hearing damage as well.

Most everyone on the flight-line would need a change of underwear.

a reply to: madmac5150

i wonder if it would be in bad taste to put a outline of the f16 on his tool box.

a reply to: penroc3

I'm really hoping he gets to. And half an F-16 for the one that was damaged.

originally posted by: penroc3
a reply to: madmac5150

i wonder if it would be in bad taste to put a outline of the f16 on his tool box.

No, only because no one was badly injured.

He would actually get two F-16 stencils, one for each kill. That's tradition.

Here's an image showing the relative sizes of a 20mm Vulcan round and a .50 Caliber bullet:


The M61 Vulcan can fire 6000 rounds per minute.

I wonder how many dozens of rounds were fired before the technician crapped his pants and grabbed his bleeding ears?

-dex

originally posted by: penroc3
a reply to: madmac5150

i wonder if it would be in bad taste to put a outline of the f16 on his tool box.

You win my friend!
Not too many people can say they had a negligent discharge of a Vulcan cannon.

originally posted by: DexterRiley
Here's an image showing the relative sizes of a 20mm Vulcan round and a .50 Caliber bullet:

The M61 Vulcan can fire 6000 rounds per minute.

I wonder how many dozens of rounds were fired before the technician crapped his pants and grabbed his bleeding ears?

-dex

I am guessing 2 dozen, or so. That accounts for a .25 second trigger pull on that gun system.

It takes about a quarter second to squeeze the trigger, feel the gun fire, crap your pants and release the trigger.

Im guessing this mechanic is part of the new weapon systems.

a reply to: dragonridr

Shaw bird. They're known for hangar foam parties and leaving jets laying around.