KC-46 & F-15 Incident over CA

[Runr6730]

KC-46 boom severed, hoist cable snapped during AR with F-15 over CA causing the KC-46 to land with half its boom in trail at Travis AFB and F-15 to divert.  

 

[Boomer6]

Don't forget to brief your double missed cable gear down min fuel divert gameplan. That'll put some hair on your chest.

[The46IsntThatBad]

Looks like it might be time to change my display name

[Clayton Bigsby]

Broke one cable, missed the other…jeez

Not to second-guess, just curious on the divert location choice, but why not divert to EDW and a lakebed landing?  Roll forever until you stop. 

FAT is a logical choice given it is an F-15 base with parts and familiar ATC/ARFF.

Edited August 25 by Clayton Bigsby

[Boomer6]

25 minutes ago, Clayton Bigsby said:

Not to second-guess, just curious on the divert location choice, but why not divert to EDW and a lakebed landing?  Roll forever until you stop. 

Are you asking why they tried a second cable engagement on a RWY that had another cable available w/ calm winds. Or why they chose to fly ~30 miles away to  Lemoore instead of 140 miles with minimum fuel and a hydraulic problem?

[Muscle2002]

52 minutes ago, Clayton Bigsby said:

Broke one cable, missed the other…jeez

Not to second-guess, just curious on the divert location choice, but why not divert to EDW and a lakebed landing?  Roll forever until you stop. 

FAT is a logical choice given it is an F-15 base with parts and familiar ATC/ARFF.

I suspect most CAF aircrews do not even have lakebed runways in their crosscheck. When I flew Green Flag missions in R-208, we talked about Edwards as a divert option, with its two main runways, but spoke nary a word about lakebed landings. Lakebed landings are not something people think about, except for the Hawg. Remember, Mountain Home made a big deal about landing on a taxiway. 

https://www.mountainhome.af.mil/News-Photos-Videos/Article-Display/Article/3681602/gunfighters-complete-operation-garrison-forward-phase-one/

[Biff_T]

If it ain't Boeing, then it's probably going. 

 

They really screwed the pooch on the 46.  

[HuggyU2]

We use Fresno and Lemoore for our local diverts and go there often for training sorties. 

With 9,500 and 8,000 at FAT, and 2 x 13,500 at NLC, most of us would choose NLC if we had a runway length / stopping issue. 
 

Nevermind the fact NLC is the Navy: they know cables"; have them on all four runways; and inspect them regularly (not that we can take a cable in the T-38A). 
 

I'd like to know what the after action report is on the broken cable at FAT. 
 

I've landed a T-38 on the Edwards lake bed once. A decent option this time of year normally. But you don't want to show up there without pre-coordination, only to find out the lake bed is unusable due to rain. 

Edited August 28 by HuggyU2

[SocialD]

23 hours ago, HuggyU2 said:

I'd like to know what the after action report is on the broken cable at FAT. 

 

A few years ago, we (F-16) had a cable break during a barrier cert of a new cable. He was on speed and best we could tell is the hook skipped and the hit the cable with the tip of the shoe.  Did some damage to the ventrals.  Shit happens.  

Edited August 29 by SocialD