Fatal Decision

[livvy]

Fatal Decision
Ejection a half-second earlier may have saved pilot’s life

By Bruce Rolfsen - Staff writer
Posted : Saturday Nov 29, 2008 6:48:00 EST


Aircraft flaws and a mistake lasting half a second led to the death of an Air Force pilot during a July exercise at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.

Lt. Col. Thomas Bouley, commander of Nellis’ 65th Aggressor Squadron at Nellis, died July 30 after ejecting from his stricken F-15D Eagle when the plane was about 585 feet above the desert. He ejected too late, but not before he righted the plane after 20 spins in 87 seconds.

Bouley’s passenger, a British exchange pilot not identified in the report, ejected less than a half second before Bouley and survived.

While Bouley made mistakes leading to the crash, his 2,613 hours of flying F-15s led him to think they were survivable errors.

“Bouley was a highly motivated, capable pilot,” said accident board president Brig. Gen. Robert Otto, a former F-15 wing safety officer and now commander of the 9th Reconnaissance Wing at Beale Air Force Base, Calif.

more...

http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2008/11/airforce_fatal_f15_crash_120808w/%2e

[TypeKast]

1. Wow

Wonder how that works.