Originally Posted By RoadTrip Remember that crash of a Marine jet in a San Diego neighborhood? Remember how I suggested that the Marine pilot should have done something to avoid a civilian neighborhood? Remember how everyone said RoadTrip was such a complete jerk for inferring that the Marine pilot was at fault? I certainly remember. Well, he was at fault. Of course I was supporting McCain at the time, so I would have been ripped no matter what I posted that month. <<SAN DIEGO - The pilot of a crippled military jet that crashed into a San Diego neighborhood and killed four members of a Korean family was offered a chance shortly before impact to land at a base with an approach over open water rather than head inland, recordings released Tuesday indicate. Recordings of conversations between federal air controllers and the pilot of the F/A-18D reveal that the pilot at least twice was offered a chance to put down the plane at the Naval Air Station North Island in Coronado. The base sits at the tip of a peninsula with a flight path over water. Instead, the Federal Aviation Administration tapes disclose, the pilot decided to fly the jet, which had lost one engine and was showing signs of trouble with the second, to the inland Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, which is about 10 miles north of Coronado. That route took him over the University City neighborhood, where the Dec. 8 crash incinerated two homes and damaged three others. Officials in Washington, D.C., said Tuesday that 13 Marine Corps personnel have been disciplined for errors in connection with the crash.>> Source: <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29495937/" target="_blank">http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29495937/</a>
Originally Posted By Ursula We should find the original post and compare. I believe we were saying that in such instances, a pilot has to make very quick decisions and should be faulted for making a wrong choice, but my memory is old and weak. Plus, the article goes on to say that he was TOLD to do what he did, doesn't it? Aren't they supposed to follow orders? But interesting now that the story is that they did have time to make a decision on what to do. But honestly, I don't think I called you a jerk.
Originally Posted By SingleParkPassholder See K2M's post 47 in particular: <a href="http://mb.laughingplace.com/MsgBoard-T-102408-P-5.asp" target="_blank">http://mb.laughingplace.com/Ms...-P-5.asp</a>
Originally Posted By SingleParkPassholder You know, re-reading the totality if the thread I just linked to, I'm not so sure this new thread was a good idea at all.
Originally Posted By barboy ///I believe we were saying that in such instances, a pilot has to make very quick decisions and should not be faulted for making a wrong choice/// Oh no way! Now I know that you're not saying that those who steward very expensive and powerful equipment get free passes if their spontaneous decisions lead to disastrous outcomes --- are you? It looks like you are. And if indeed that is what you're saying then I don't agree. And this new info shows us that the pilot should have put that plane down in either the Pacific or Coronado--- preferably at Coronado.
Originally Posted By barboy I'll bet now that pilot can't even get a job ''flying a cargo plane full of rubber dog crap out of Hong Hong" <---couldn't resist pulling something from Top Gun
Originally Posted By RoadTrip Face it. I was about the only one here who said that the pilot should have done something other than bailing out while letting his aircraft go down in a residential area. My thought at the time was that if he had stayed with the craft he could have directed it away from the residential development rather crashing into it. You know... Kind of like how Sully was able to land his craft in the Hudson rather than letting it go down in an urban area. Damned good thing commercial pilots can't bail out, huh? But now we find that would not even have been necessary. If the pilot would have chosen to bring his craft down at a Navy facility rather than stubbornly insisting on getting back to his home Marine facility he would have still been alive and so would the people on the ground. I will very happily go back to my original statement. The pilot is a disgrace and should be prosecuted for manslaughter.
Originally Posted By SingleParkPassholder Man, if you need hindsight to be right about something that you couldn't possibly have known everything about at the time, I don't know.... "I will very happily go back to my original statement. The pilot is a disgrace and should be prosecuted for manslaughter." Well, enjoy yourself.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip <<Man, if you need hindsight to be right about something that you couldn't possibly have known everything about at the time, I don't know....>> I couldn't possibly have known everything about it at the time. But I knew enough to make a reasonable judgment that there should have been some other option the pilot could have chosen.
Originally Posted By Sara Tonin I've heard this afternoon aside from having no power once the engines were out, the altimator was found to be faulty also. So if the altimator was broken then he may have assumed he was at a height that would have cleared the berm and crashed into the big empty area on the other side of the freeway. RT, you know what MARINE stands for don't you? "My A$$ Rides In Navy Equipment". And you also understand that the Marines are part of the USN. Not separate from. So if he had been directed to land at North Island or Coronado that would have been a perfectly acceptable thing to do..or even at Lindburg, but he wasn't, he was directed to Miramar. Something like this is never just one persons fault, and while you want to find someone to blame and punish, sometimes somethings come down to fate...
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan >>But I knew enough to make a reasonable judgment that there should have been some other option the pilot could have chosen.<< No, you didn't. You jumped to conclusions and started making accusations with no evidence at all. Did you go back and read the thread? Starting off with the pilot being a disgrace before all the facts are in is not a "reasonable" approach.
Originally Posted By SingleParkPassholder "I couldn't possibly have known everything about it at the time. But I knew enough to make a reasonable judgment that there should have been some other option the pilot could have chosen." In an event that was tragic for all involved, I just don't understand the need to dredge this up and crow about something, especially when you admit you didn't know everything, which couldn't therefore have been a reasonable conclusion. I just find the entire episode sad.
Originally Posted By Ursula I agree with SPP in post 15 and I'm purposely not answering "barboy" at all.
Originally Posted By barboy Hey Ursula maybe you can excuse or forgive my #7 since I wrote it spontaneously and I basically had no time to think things out since I was very late for a banca ride in the South Chin Sea and I had to rush out
Originally Posted By RoadTrip Well, I'm certainly not the first one around here to crow after the fact about having guessed something right. But don't mind me. Go bash some more Mormons. I see they are still a hot topic on WE. I guess I don’t get the point, but that’s OK. They are what they are and nothing posted here is going to change them. They are a very small minority group in the United States... are they really worth the hate?
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan >>Well, I'm certainly not the first one around here to crow<< It's an odd thing to feel proud about. I guess I just don't get it. I guess I should come here and humbly admit that I was wrong somehow to suggest we actually wait for evidence and a full investigation before leaping and "guessing" and pointing the finger of blame. But I'm not a bit sorry about that.
