Team Infidel
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Norfolk Virginian-Pilot
November 1, 2007 By Kate Wiltrout, Deirdre Fernandes and John-Henry Doucette, The Virginian-Pilot
VIRGINIA BEACH--Navy officials provided few details Wednesday about a practice bomb that fell from a fighter jet into a commercial area near Oceana Naval Air Station.
The dummy bomb crashed next to a building on busy London Bridge Road on Tuesday after falling from a single-seat F/A-18 Hornet.
The 10-pound, 18-inch bomb did little damage, landing near a wall outside a warehouse. But the incident was unsettling for some city officials.
"The fact that the Navy is not saying anything bothers me," said City Councilwoman Reba McClanan. "I'm not sure how big of a deal this is."
The jet, from Strike Fighter Squadron 106, was returning to Oceana from Dare County Bombing Range in North Carolina shortly after noon, said Mike Maus, a spokesman for the Commander, Naval Air Force Atlantic.
Navy public affairs officials wouldn't say whether the base, the control tower or emergency responders had been alerted to possible problems. "It would be inappropriate to speculate about what caused the incident and might prejudice the investigation," Maus said.
McClanan noted that Oceana is surrounded by neighborhoods, a mall and other businesses. However, the Navy has "run a pretty safe, secure operation, in all fairness to them," she said. "They have been responsive and responsible."
Maus said two Hornets - one piloted by an instructor and the other by an instructor-in-training - had flown to Dare on the training mission. Between 15 and 18 Navy planes use the bombing range on a typical day, he said, usually carrying six practice bombs each.
The dummy bomb, called a BDU-48, is designed to release smoke on impact so pilots or spotters can tell whether the target was hit.
Navy pilots have procedures for when bombs don't drop, called "hung ordnance," said a retired commander of an Oceana-based fighter squadron.
"You do get an indication in the cockpit, but sometimes it's easy to overlook," he said.
The pilot, who asked not to be named because he works in the commercial aviation industry, said a carrier flight deck would be cleared of crew members if an approaching jet had hung ordnance. In that scenario, the bomb could slide off the deck after landing.
A jet returning to Oceana in such cases might try to land in a less-populated area, such as Fentress Auxiliary Landing Field in Chesapeake, he said.
If landing at Oceana, a pilot would use a "straight in" approach to minimize flight time over densely populated areas, he said.
Maus said only that the Hornets used a visual, straight-in approach on Tuesday. He didn't identify who flew the planes but said neither pilot has been grounded.
The city manager and mayor are awaiting details about the incident.
"It's only been 24 hours," said Drew Lankford, a spokesman for Mayor Meyera Oberndorf. "They have to ask questions and do their investigation.... It's just fruitless to try and speculate about anything."
City Manager Jim Spore said the city was in touch with Navy officials Wednesday and expects to hear findings once the investigation is complete. "They'll let us know," Spore said.
Maus said he didn't know when that would be.
The incident didn't cause enough damage to be considered an official "mishap," Maus said.
The Navy has three categories of mishaps, depending on whether people are injured or killed and the value of the destroyed property. "If it's not a class A, B or C mishap, it would technically be classified as a TFOA," Maus said. "Things falling off aircraft."
An employee at the moving and storage company where the bomb fell declined to comment Wednesday.
Across the street, Jim Steinle, president of Atomic Plumbing & Drain Cleaning, said he hoped it was an isolated incident, but that the Navy has been a good neighbor.
"Anything falling out of the sky is not a good thing," he said.
Staff writer Richard Quinn contributed to this report.
November 1, 2007 By Kate Wiltrout, Deirdre Fernandes and John-Henry Doucette, The Virginian-Pilot
VIRGINIA BEACH--Navy officials provided few details Wednesday about a practice bomb that fell from a fighter jet into a commercial area near Oceana Naval Air Station.
The dummy bomb crashed next to a building on busy London Bridge Road on Tuesday after falling from a single-seat F/A-18 Hornet.
The 10-pound, 18-inch bomb did little damage, landing near a wall outside a warehouse. But the incident was unsettling for some city officials.
"The fact that the Navy is not saying anything bothers me," said City Councilwoman Reba McClanan. "I'm not sure how big of a deal this is."
The jet, from Strike Fighter Squadron 106, was returning to Oceana from Dare County Bombing Range in North Carolina shortly after noon, said Mike Maus, a spokesman for the Commander, Naval Air Force Atlantic.
Navy public affairs officials wouldn't say whether the base, the control tower or emergency responders had been alerted to possible problems. "It would be inappropriate to speculate about what caused the incident and might prejudice the investigation," Maus said.
McClanan noted that Oceana is surrounded by neighborhoods, a mall and other businesses. However, the Navy has "run a pretty safe, secure operation, in all fairness to them," she said. "They have been responsive and responsible."
Maus said two Hornets - one piloted by an instructor and the other by an instructor-in-training - had flown to Dare on the training mission. Between 15 and 18 Navy planes use the bombing range on a typical day, he said, usually carrying six practice bombs each.
The dummy bomb, called a BDU-48, is designed to release smoke on impact so pilots or spotters can tell whether the target was hit.
Navy pilots have procedures for when bombs don't drop, called "hung ordnance," said a retired commander of an Oceana-based fighter squadron.
"You do get an indication in the cockpit, but sometimes it's easy to overlook," he said.
The pilot, who asked not to be named because he works in the commercial aviation industry, said a carrier flight deck would be cleared of crew members if an approaching jet had hung ordnance. In that scenario, the bomb could slide off the deck after landing.
A jet returning to Oceana in such cases might try to land in a less-populated area, such as Fentress Auxiliary Landing Field in Chesapeake, he said.
If landing at Oceana, a pilot would use a "straight in" approach to minimize flight time over densely populated areas, he said.
Maus said only that the Hornets used a visual, straight-in approach on Tuesday. He didn't identify who flew the planes but said neither pilot has been grounded.
The city manager and mayor are awaiting details about the incident.
"It's only been 24 hours," said Drew Lankford, a spokesman for Mayor Meyera Oberndorf. "They have to ask questions and do their investigation.... It's just fruitless to try and speculate about anything."
City Manager Jim Spore said the city was in touch with Navy officials Wednesday and expects to hear findings once the investigation is complete. "They'll let us know," Spore said.
Maus said he didn't know when that would be.
The incident didn't cause enough damage to be considered an official "mishap," Maus said.
The Navy has three categories of mishaps, depending on whether people are injured or killed and the value of the destroyed property. "If it's not a class A, B or C mishap, it would technically be classified as a TFOA," Maus said. "Things falling off aircraft."
An employee at the moving and storage company where the bomb fell declined to comment Wednesday.
Across the street, Jim Steinle, president of Atomic Plumbing & Drain Cleaning, said he hoped it was an isolated incident, but that the Navy has been a good neighbor.
"Anything falling out of the sky is not a good thing," he said.
Staff writer Richard Quinn contributed to this report.