CF 18 loses parts over Lake Ontario

[The_Falcon]

Heard this on the radio this morning, couldn't find anything posted.  Apparently a CF18 lost a metre long luggage door while doing a flyby of the Indy.

 

[OHara]

This is embarassing. It is sad when Canada only has 124 CF18's and they cant even keep them running or maitnanced properly. This looks really good on Canadas International apperance.

 

[Krazy-P]

well at least they didnt drop any missiles off the wings this time.lol 

 

[Sam69]

This is embarassing. It is sad when Canada only has 124 CF18's and they cant even keep them running or maitnanced properly. This looks really good on Canadas International apperance.

This is a bunch of useless speculation and FUD. The initial reports are that it was a door off a luggage pod that fell off. Hardly a core piece of the aircraft or an indication of poor operating condition. A number of things could have caused a door to fail like that including a failure to close it properly.

Sam

 

[scm77]

CF-18 drops door in flyby

A DRAMATIC kickoff to the Molson Indy could have ended disastrously after a piece of a CF-18 fighter jet fell off during a flyby over Lake Ontario yesterday.

Two fighter jets flew over tens of thousands of Indy spectators yesterday afternoon in another display of high-speed power. But while travelling over Lake Ontario, the door to the luggage pod on one of the jets fell off and landed in the water, a military spokesman said. Though pleasure boaters dotted the lake, no one was hurt.

'WE'RE FORTUNATE'

"We've launched an initial flight safety investigation to find out what happened," said Capt. Julie Roberge of 3 Wing Bagotville military base in Saguenay, Quebec. "We think it was a mechanical malfunction."

Roberge said the piece is almost a metre long and was recovered by the Toronto Police Marine Unit.

After realizing something was wrong during the flyby, the pilots returned to Pearson airport.

Because the piece isn't an important part of the aircraft, the pilots flew the jets back to Quebec yesterday afternoon, where they'll be examined, Roberge said.

"We're really fortunate nothing happened," Roberge said.

http://torontosun.com/News/TorontoAndGTA/2005/07/11/pf-1126061.html

 

[Ex-Dragoon]

O'hara unless you are an investigator with the TSB, I would suggest comments like that should be kept to yourself.

 

[Slim]

This is embarassing. It is sad when Canada only has 124 CF18's and they cant even keep them running or maitnanced properly. This looks really good on Canadas International apperance.

OHara

You do not have all the faacts so, as others have asked you to, I'm making it official. Stop idle speculation, which only leads to a bunch of mis-enformed ideas and guesses...Which the media love to portray as the truth.

They're good enough at it on their own and do not need your help.

Also I would like you to fill out your profile out of courtesy to others here at the site.

Slim

 

[OHara]

Ok, I am more or less worried about the Image we put forth on other Country's... Alot of the U.S Poplulation (I am not saying all) think of Canadas military as crappy for lack of better terms and what does a hunk of sheet metal braking off of one of our 120 some odd F18's look like to them? Especially on International Television. I am just saying I personally dont like to hear people talking garbage about *our country* Its just my opinion. We should keep a good image especially with the publicity we have been getting in the past couple of years.

 

[Roy Harding]

Ok, I am more or less worried about the Image we put forth on other Country's... Alot of the U.S Poplulation (I am not saying all) think of Canadas military as crappy for lack of better terms and what does a hunk of sheet metal braking off of one of our 120 some odd F18's look like to them? Especially on International Television. I am just saying I personally dont like to hear people talking garbage about *our country* Its just my opinion. We should keep a good image especially with the publicity we have been getting in the past couple of years.

Son;

The piece of metal fell off the damned plane.  This is a FACT.  And so far, is the ONLY fact known. 

What would you do to "preserve our image"?  Deny that anything fell?

 

[OHara]

Its a start... No But seriously. We need to do more to keep the fighters maintained.

 

[crazyleggs]

Its a start... No But seriously. We need to do more to keep the fighters maintained.

You're getting way out of line.  We have the best maintainers and flyers in the world.  Stuff like that will happen, seems to me that it is most likely human error (improper latching, just a guess).

Do you treat your C-7 like crap?  Trust me, the CF-188 techs are the best Hornet techs in the world.

BTW, we are down to less than 80 operational Hornets now.

 

[Fishbone Jones]

Its a start... No But seriously. We need to do more to keep the fighters maintained.

You have absolutley no idea what it takes to maintain an aircraft, nor are you aware of the level at which we maintain ours. You insult all the 500 trades with your stupid comment.

You've been warned on other threads about staying in your lane and yapping off about things which you don't understand. Again, I'll ask you to go back and read the Forum Guidelines and then adhere to them. I doubt that you'll be warned again. Your riding a rocket here son.

 

[Allen]

How do you know our maintenance is inadequate? What source are you relyng on for that info?

Listen, fighters have accidents all the time in the US and they don't blow it out of proportion. An F-16 crashed a few weeks ago in Colorado due to a possible engine fire. They are calmly proceeding with the investigation, not prematurely screaming "poor maintenance".

Other countries have enough to worry about with their own aircraft incidents, they don't worry about Canada. Let's take all possible precautions, but put this in perspective.

 

[mover1]

Having a been exposed to the fighter world for a long while. And having the opportunity and pleasure to go not only on exercise and operation with them. I can tell you that the "Luggage pod" is not an in dispenable piece of equipment. It is a luggage pod which gets treated and handled with about the same respect as a barrack box.

The techs in the fighter Sqns are some of the most ingenious and kn owlageable people in their fields. I have the utmost respect for them and the pilots who fly the F-18. I have seen and participated in some amazing stuff with them. To say that the maintence is poor is tangable to fighting words. Yes they would like newer A/C but who wouldn't. Yes they would like more spare parts.  But remember this. The CF-18 has been flying "operationally" over OUR skies since Sept 11.

This news is just a flash in the pan thing done by some ingenious reporter filing a story on something that is alongside of  and on the same lines aS the fatal crash in Sask. Its a common story but really no big whoop. Things fall off of planes every day. (just ask the airborne  ;D). Flight safety is always and will always be a major factor in day to day operations and you can be sure that they will be out to investigate this one.

For those of you with Din acces this link has some very interesting reads.
http://www.airforce.forces.gc.ca/dfs/docs/Reports/fti_e.asp

For others here without you can get started on seeing something along the same lines here.
http://www.elchineroconcepts.com/C130.htm

 

[Fishbone Jones]

Things fall off of planes every day.

Like those big green or blue chunks of smelly ice that crash through your roof. ;D

 

[Krazy-P]

trust me, when it comes to maintenance our techs, myself included, give 110 percent all the time. its not like a car where you can stop on the side of the road if your engine fails.

 

[jmacleod]

First McDonnell-Douglas Northrop F-18A Hornet came into CF strength in July 1982. It became
the CF-18A Hornet - bureaucrats in Ottawa objected to the name Hornet, but the name stuck.
There have been some structural problems with the aircraft over the years. Dr. Orest Cochkanoff
Ph.D, Faculty of Engineering Dalhousie University undertook a Study (which to my knowledge
remains Classified) Dr. Cochkanoff was senior Airframe Evaluator at CEPE, Ottawa for some years
- won't speculate what "fell off" the aircraft, but if it was in fact a major air incident, the aircraft
would not be here. The F-18 USMC is rated as their top line air combat aircraft. In 1982 it cost
Canadian taxpayers $29 million (US) - the new version Super Hornet, (Boeing Aircraft Corporation)
costs $57 million. CF Maintenance has always impressed me, don't agree with contracting out
aircraft maintenence, but have advocated AF Techs be given the training and opportunities at
public expense to upgrade to TC Certification as AME's (CF is listening). MacLeod

 

[medic65726]

I've read the reports on a number of aircraft incidents involving hatch and cover failures (which occur not infrequently) and the crews generally suggest there was some element of mechanical failure. However, in the subsequent investigations by maintenance personnel as well as the aircraft manufacturers there is rarely any fault found. Occasionally reccomendations are made as to changes such as increasing latch tension, but usually the incidents are down to good old fashioned human error. Not pointing any fingers here, but the most likely culprit in incidents like this is the Pilot. As these sort of incidents go, this was rather minor. There have been incidents like this in the past, that have brought down the aircraft, although that is much more commin in rotor wing flight, than fixed wing.
Just my 2 cents.

 

[Ex-Dragoon]

Until a cause is actually determined mere speculation is not helping. This has already been pointed out to another poster, Medic65726, please follow the same advice.

 

[Fishbone Jones]

It's a good thing his Pepto Bismol, inflatable sheep and '51 Chateau Cabernet didn't fly out of the open luggage bin too ;D