Guest C-21 Pilot Posted December 29, 2008 Posted December 29, 2008 Just released across the AP Wire... HAVELOCK, N.C. — Rescuers are at the scene of a jet fighter crash near the Marine Corps' Cherry Point air station in eastern North Carolina. Officials at the base say there is no word yet on the condition of the aircraft's pilot. Cherry Point spokeswoman Gunnery Sgt. Reina Barnett told WNCT-TV in Greenville the crash occurred about 12:15 p.m. in some woods off a runway at the base. Base spokesman Mike Barton said he had been told the plane is an AV-8B Harrier, but had little additional information. The television station said a Marine helicopter is conducting a search and rescue operation at the scene, near the state's Cherry Branch ferry terminal on the Neuse River. An AV-8B Harrier crashed in February in Carteret County, but the pilot wasn't injured. *************** Hope the best....
Right Seat Driver Posted December 29, 2008 Posted December 29, 2008 It has been a rough year for Military Flying. Godspeed to the pilot and his family.
summe32c Posted December 30, 2008 Posted December 30, 2008 just another reason I dont like those damn things. There was always at least one broken Harrier parked at Wilmington INTL in NC, about an hour from cherry point. These guys always fly in and party DT or at the Beach bars with us and TRY to take our women.. F-35 cant come soon enough to save a few more lives... Prayers and thoughts with the pilots family and freinds. cheers for your service Respectfully, -summers
HuggyU2 Posted December 30, 2008 Posted December 30, 2008 F-35 cant come soon enough to save a few more lives... While the Harrier's accident rate is high, the fatality rate has not been bad in years. I can't back this up with any stats at my fingertips,... just anecdotal from my Harrier friends.
yerfer Posted December 30, 2008 Posted December 30, 2008 just another reason I dont like those damn things. There was always at least one broken Harrier parked at Wilmington INTL in NC, about an hour from cherry point. These guys always fly in and party DT or at the Beach bars with us and TRY to take our women.. F-35 cant come soon enough to save a few more lives... Prayers and thoughts with the pilots family and freinds. cheers for your service Respectfully, -summers Was sitting with a group of guys from the Nightmares squadron and I mentioned the Harrier's wear and tear. His response was they are pretty much brand new. Everything is replaced besides the wings and ejection seat. Kinda like tearing down a house, but leaving a wall up to call it a "remodel." I wonder if I know this guy. They come into Williams all the time. Literally, weekly. My respect to the family and loved ones
MD Posted December 31, 2008 Posted December 31, 2008 I wonder if I know this guy. They come into Williams all the time. Literally, weekly. Sidenote: Don't want to call it Williams.......management there is adamant about the new Phoenix-Mesa Gateway name for the airport that gets rid of the whole Willie heritage once and for all..... clowns.
Guest IncompletePete Posted December 31, 2008 Posted December 31, 2008 While the Harrier's accident rate is high, the fatality rate has not been bad in years. I can't back this up with any stats at my fingertips,... just anecdotal from my Harrier friends. I'm curious as to what the difference is between the RAF and Royal Navy Harriers and the US-spec models? I seem to remember reading somewhere that the accident rate was far higher for the USMC jets than the British jets. Regardless though, Godspeed to the pilot and his family.
bucky60k Posted January 1, 2009 Posted January 1, 2009 I'm curious as to what the difference is between the RAF and Royal Navy Harriers and the US-spec models? I seem to remember reading somewhere that the accident rate was far higher for the USMC jets than the British jets. Regardless though, Godspeed to the pilot and his family. Well short answer the GR.7/GR.9 share the same "big wing" of the Harrier II however they still use a Angle Rate Bombing System like the older AV-8Bs and they use a 25mm single barrel instead of a Gatling gun and have a different avionics package. Another cool feature is that the British versions' Martin Baker seat has a provision to rip off a pilot's NVGs to prevent whip lash during ejection. As for Sea Harriers, they've all been retired from service in the RN but still fly India. They had a different wing and were the first versions to carry Radar (Blue Fox/Vixen) among other features.
MKopack Posted January 3, 2009 Posted January 3, 2009 Caution light rerouted Marine in fatal jet crash The Associated Press HAVELOCK, N.C. A Marine pilot killed in a crash this week began having problems shortly after takeoff, prompting him to try to return to his North Carolina base, the military said Wednesday. Capt. Alberto N. Bencosme, 27, was piloting the AV-8B Harrier that crashed Monday in an unpopulated area near the Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point. Officials said that Bencosme was instructed back to base shortly after takeoff by a cockpit caution light that came on, indicating that aircraft canopy latches may not have been secured. Bencosme crashed just east of the airstation near NC Highway 101, about a mile from the runway. No one else was injured. Bencosme was a member of Marine Attack Training Squadron 203, based at Cherry Point. Bencosme enlisted in the Marine Corps in November 1997 and was commissioned as an officer in November 2004. He was promoted to captain on Dec. 1. While in the service, he was awarded two Selected Marine Corps Reserve Medals, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the National Defense Service Medal. Bencosme's cousin H.L. Peralta told WNCT-TV of Greenville in a telephone interview that Bencosme always wanted to be a pilot. He said Bencosme, born in the Dominican Republic, moved to the United States at a young age and felt the country "gave him so much." Bencosme had been told he was too tall to fly, Peralta said, but figured out a way to fit into the cockpit. Cherry Point spokesman Michael Barton said Wednesday that he did not know how many flights Bencosme had been on, but said the crash wasn't because of any lack of skills. "He wasn't a new pilot by any means," Barton said. Barton said the cause of the crash is still under investigation, and that an official report could take up to a year to complete.
Guest C-21 Pilot Posted January 4, 2009 Posted January 4, 2009 Officials said that Bencosme was instructed back to base shortly after takeoff by a cockpit caution light that came on, indicating that aircraft canopy latches may not have been secured. Huh? While I know that I'm not even remotley close to a Harrier pilot, nor do I know its' systems, but this makes me scratch my head...what on earth could distract someone so much which would cause a fatal crash...? Any Harrier guys out there? Terrible loss...
JarheadBoom Posted January 4, 2009 Posted January 4, 2009 (edited) With all the other ways the Harrier can kill a man, the canopy may have had nothing at all to do with it. We're just gonna have to wait. Edited January 4, 2009 by JarheadBoom
BQZip01 Posted January 8, 2009 Posted January 8, 2009 Huh? While I know that I'm not even remotley close to a Harrier pilot, nor do I know its' systems, but this makes me scratch my head...what on earth could distract someone so much which would cause a fatal crash...? Any Harrier guys out there? Terrible loss... 101 fatalities because of a burned out bulb: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Air_Lines_Flight_401
08Dawg Posted January 8, 2009 Posted January 8, 2009 There is a reason they teach CRM stuff like channelized attention in flight school. RIP, Marine. Semper Fi.
BQZip01 Posted January 8, 2009 Posted January 8, 2009 There is a reason they teach CRM stuff like channelized attention in flight school. RIP, Marine. Semper Fi. 2 Sorry if my comment sounded harsh. It was just an observation.
Guest Harrier Dude Posted January 17, 2009 Posted January 17, 2009 just another reason I dont like those damn things. There was always at least one broken Harrier parked at Wilmington INTL in NC, about an hour from cherry point. These guys always fly in and party DT or at the Beach bars with us and TRY to take our women.. F-35 cant come soon enough to save a few more lives... Prayers and thoughts with the pilots family and freinds. cheers for your service Respectfully, -summers Unless you have some kind of experience operating/maintaining the Harrier, or any other military aircraft, then shut the ###### up. A good Marine is dead. This is not the time to pontificate on your impressions of the Harrier, our maintenance or lost women in Willmington. "Prayers to the family" does not give you a right to talk out of your ass. And if you think that the F-35 is going to come along and end all mishaps, then think again. Huh? While I know that I'm not even remotley close to a Harrier pilot, nor do I know its' systems, but this makes me scratch my head...what on earth could distract someone so much which would cause a fatal crash...? Any Harrier guys out there? Terrible loss... The pilot was qualified, but still very junior and inexperienced. Like has been said before, sillier things have distracted more experienced pilots and led them to disaster before. That may, or may not have been the case here. We (all of us not on the AMB) just don't know. The canopy on the Harrier opens fore and aft, and is manual/mechanical vice electrical/hydraulic. In other words, you close it yourself by slamming it shut. There are latches that hold it shut, but they are spring loaded. Other tan firmly closing the canopy, there is no other way to "lock it shut". It works fine, but if you don't ensure that the latches have engaged, it might come open. If it comes open in flight, there is a very good chance that it will shatter. The pieces will almost certainly go down your intake and FOD the motor. I had one come partially open at 400ish knots, and it was very distracting. I had a canopy caution light about 3 seconds before it came open. My understanding is that all this pilot had was just the light. Don't know. I would guess that he was a little concerned that it might come open, shatter, and FOD his motor. Again, don't know. s/f,
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