Self-Shootdown

[Sapper!]

Thought this was an interesting read. I remember this from Chuck Yeager's autobiography and guessing from the timeline this was the incident he was referring to. Sorry if it is a repost mods

http://www.check-six.com/Crash_Sites/Tiger138260.htm

 

[Gatordev]

My ROTC XO (and Top Gun movie "MiG" pilot) told me a story of someone shooting themselves down in a F-4 in the PI. I think it was him, but it's been a while since I heard the story, so I don't want to give a bad sea story. Whomever it was, the Sparrow left the rail and did its pitch up WAY too early and took out the nose gear. After landing, sliding to a stop and exiting the aircraft (which was apparently its own ordeal since the F-4 didn't have the juice to open the canopy), the local PI crash crew decided that NOW was the time to let loose with the water cannon, blowing the pilot off the top of the aircraft (again, I'm pretty sure it was my XO) and breaking his leg.

So yeah, shoots himself down with his own missile. Lands with no nose gear. Gets out of the aircraft, all without a scratch, then breaks leg on egress thanks to the crash crew. Pretty good sea story, though.

 

[BusyBee604]

Thought this was an interesting read.

Thanks for posting Sapper!, I found it interesting also. As a career A-4 driver (3 fleet squadron tours and 2 A-4 RAG IP squadron tours), I've done a lot of strafing with our twin MK-12 20mm cannons. Most of the cannon training was low alt A/G on scored (electronic) ground targets, with occasional live A/A training on towed banners. Never heard of anyone colliding with their own cannon fire (bombs & rockets....YES)! Probably because the A-4 strafed between 360 to 420 kts., nowhere near the supersonic firing speed of the F-11 Test Pilot.

FYI, for my 2 combat tours, strafing was only authorized for CAS in SVN. In March 1966, a minimum pullout altitude of 3000' AGL was imposed for NVN, to reduce the tremendous loss rate from small arms fire. The only exception was strafing in support/cover of downed flight crews; however, we always launched in combat w/ fully loaded 20mm cannons in case of a SAR situation (PRI 1)!
*See 20mm cannon at port wing root
BzB

 

[blackbart22]

Seem to recall an F-102 having the same thing happen during a test. Like the F-11F it had the "coke-bottle" fuselage.

 

[Treetop Flyer]

Didn't an F-14 shoot itself down in testing?

 

[Brett327]

My ROTC XO (and Top Gun movie "MiG" pilot) told me a story of someone shooting themselves down in a F-4 in the PI. I think it was him, but it's been a while since I heard the story, so I don't want to give a bad sea story. Whomever it was, the Sparrow left the rail and did its pitch up WAY too early and took out the nose gear. After landing, sliding to a stop and exiting the aircraft (which was apparently its own ordeal since the F-4 didn't have the juice to open the canopy), the local PI crash crew decided that NOW was the time to let loose with the water cannon, blowing the pilot off the top of the aircraft (again, I'm pretty sure it was my XO) and breaking his leg.

So yeah, shoots himself down with his own missile. Lands with no nose gear. Gets out of the aircraft, all without a scratch, then breaks leg on egress thanks to the crash crew. Pretty good sea story, though.

Although anything could happen with a missile gone berserk, the prospect of it disabling a stowed nose gear seems rather far fetched. Probably a case of not letting the facts get in the way of a good story.

Brett

 

[MPH]

Didn't an F-14 shoot itself down in testing?

http://www.ejectionsite.com/F-14 SHOOTDOWN.pdf

 

[helolumpy]

I know of a H-60F that had the aircrew try to shoot itself down during a gun-ex. They were a shoe-in for the Battle-E until the literally shot themselves in the foot... or the cabin floor board to be more accurate!

 

[Gatordev]

Although anything could happen with a missile gone berserk, the prospect of it disabling a stowed nose gear seems rather far fetched. Probably a case of not letting the facts get in the way of a good story.

Brett

Maybe, but he wasn't one to boast about such things. I think the gist of it was that the missile raked the nose, which knocked out whatever powers the gear (presumably hydraulics) and then took off the nose cone. Obviously there was no detonation of anything. Fog or Cat surely have more systems knowledge, but I'm guessing the loss of hyd was what led to the failure of the canopy.

 

[Jim123]

It's not unheard of for air-dropped torpedoes to "go stupid" under the water and ascend fast enough broach the surface a lot like a flying fish... as for the fish getting high enough in the air to be able to hit a low helicopter, that can happen. Actually hitting a helicopter, the chance of that is almost impossible.

The question comes up from time to time here on AW.

Not sure how much fame vs how much infamy such a thing would bring upon a helicopter pilot. Getting hit by your own bullets or cannon shells is one thing; getting hit by your own five hundred pound metal tree trunk travelling approximately the speed of a fast moped...