Wednesday, July 27, 2011

CF-18 crash probe finds cockpit problems, unauthorized training. Night-vision goggles should be reserved for pilots with more experience: Directorate of Flight Safety,

Capt. Darren Blakie of the 409 Tactical Fight Squadron ejected from this CF-18 before it crashed at CFB Cold Lake in November 2010.
Photograph by: Global News, File, edmontonjournal.com

EDMONTON - A CF-18 pilot was snow-blind and unable to read his navigational equipment when he crashed during a nighttime training flight outside CFB Cold Lake in Nov. 2010, an investigation has found.

Capt. Darren Blakie of the 409 Tactical Fight Squadron ejected from the Hornet just before it crashed and exploded in a frigid field around midnight on Nov. 17. Blakie was not seriously injured and was found two hours after the crash.

The initial report, issued by the Directorate of Flight Safety, details several problems in the cockpit of the CF-18 in the moments before the crash. It also raises concerns about unauthorized training and pilots with too little experience.

As Blakie lowered his landing gear on approach to a runway, he was “almost immediately disoriented by the sudden rush of falling snow as it was illuminated by his landing light.” That light also washed out Blakie’s instrument panel, which he needed to control the aircraft.

Blakie then perceived that he had entered a steep, deadly descent, the report states.

He pulled up the nose of the aircraft, but still believing he was in a dive and unable to confirm otherwise, Blakie ejected into the northern Alberta winter. Below, in a farmer’s field surrounded by forest, the CF-18 hit the ground and exploded.

The investigation found the jet was “serviceable and operating normally.”

In Nov. 2010, pilots were routinely training at night, on unlit airfields, with night-vision goggles that Blakie was wearing when he crashed. However, the report notes, such training is not authorized.

The report mentions that Blakie was inexperienced with nighttime flights and it had been 224 days since his last flight with night-vision goggles. Due to the crash, 1 Canadian Air Division has ordered that night-vision goggle training in CF-18s may only be done with pilots that have more flying experience.

“The investigation is focusing on the human factors surrounding the occurrence,” the report states. “This will include disorientation, organizational pressures and training practices.”

The investigation also found anomalies in aircraft life-support equipment practices and record keeping.

Though not related to the crash, the investigation found inconsistent de-icing procedures.

Blakie was alone in the aircraft, though flying with another plane, when he went down. The resulting explosion and a fired flare helped search and rescue efforts. Two hours after crashing, Blakie walked onto a rescue helicopter. He was uninjured.

The temperature at the time of the crash was -13 C, with a wind chill of -22 C.

The crash was the second of a CF-18 in a matter of months. In July 2010, the pilot of a CF-18 practising for an air show at the Lethbridge County Airport ejected seconds before his jet crashed. Capt. Brian Bews suffered compression fractures in three vertebrae as a result.

Early results from an investigation determined the crash was caused by a sudden loss of power.

The CF-18 Hornet has been in Canadian service since 1982. They cost $4 billion for 138 aircraft, plus $2.6 billion in fleet upgrades completed in 2010.

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