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Throwback Thursday: Jet lands on pile of mattresses
DISCLAIMER (Updated 7/30/21): A COMCAM from MCAS Cherry Point informed Pop Smoke Media that this is “fairly common procedure for when a craft is having a landing gear malfunction.” We did not receive direct information on this particular event.
DISCLAIMER (Updated 7/30/21): A COMCAM from MCAS Cherry Point informed Pop Smoke Media that this is “fairly common procedure for when a craft is having a landing gear malfunction.
not receive direct information on this particular event.
Nevertheless, it’s a crazy story.
If you’ve ever been a young and aspiring BMXer with a trashed mattress, this scene may seem familiar.
Several years ago, purportedly at Marine Corps Air Station, Cherry Point, one pilot found himself with an inoperable landing gear mid-flight.
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The pilot was flying a TAV-8B, a training variant of the McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II, assigned to VMAT-203. They noticed the landing gear was hung, which Harrier II’s are known for, and contacted base for troubleshooting.
The emergency procedure (EP) for these situations involves cycling through circuit breakers, cycling the gear, and requesting a visual inspection. When none of that works, the pilot has to blow down the gear
In this case, none of the EP steps succeeded.
After troubleshooting, the pilot contacted the MAG CO to inform them of the situation.
Mattress placement is key
The MAG CO was worried that if the pilot blew the gear down with the nose gear still hung up, it would crack the frame of the aircraft. So instead, He directed the pilot to do a gear up vertical landing.
The landing would most likely crush the strakes and FOD (Foreign Object Damage) the motor, a notably better outcome than cracking the frame. The MAG CO told others on the ground to quickly pile up mattresses as a cushion for the nose.
Once the pilot heard of the plan, he refused to do it unless he heard it directly from the MAG CO.
The MAG CO got on the radio and told him to do it directly.
Upon landing the jet, the mattresses sent a burst of metal springs and coils through the engine turbine blades. The end result was FOD to the engine and crushed strakes, just as they expected.
Whether the plan was idiotic or ingenious, it seems like everyone involved ended up just fine.
