MiG-17 missing on XC.....

Just heard about this this morning as well ...

Hope everything is ok ... that's a bad part of town go down in (i.e. sharp, pointy rocks and lot's of 'em).
 
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near Truth or Consequences, NM.


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A note of irony in the namet. I hope the Pilot made it.

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If I remember correctly "TorC" is west-southwest of Roswell and pretty much right smack in the middle of (or very close to, at least) the White Sands firing/missile "range."

It's really the begining of the rough terrain that is the southern end of the Rockies. Bad, bad place to have trouble. Not many airports, rough terrain and a long way from nowhere.
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We're holding our breath here at UPS as the pilot may have been one of our B757 Capts who owns a MIG 17 and bases it out of PHX. I've known him for years as we were sim instructors together. Great guy and well respected within our ranks. I'm praying it's not him!
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Well, one thing that may help is there are actually a lot of MiGs based at DVT (as well as other import ex-fighters). Here's to hoping he's not one of yours.
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Just been informed through company sources that the MIG-17 pilot is indeed my friend and UPS B757 Capt. He's been missing since Thursday morning as family, friends, Search and Rescue continue looking for any signs of him or the aircraft. He was preparing for an upcoming airshow when he notified ATC of fuel transfer problems.
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My condolences to you and all others that knew him.

</edit> I apoligize for assuming the worst. I hope that they do find him alive. <edit>
 
As most of you probably know, the area he went missing in near TCS, north of the White Sands Missile Range area is a whole lot of nothing out there. Hopefully he successfully bailed-out of the MiG (assuming any suitable landing fields in the area have already been ramp-checked), and has some semblance of survival/signaling gear. A300, would you happen to know what type of gear he flew with other than the standard life-support gear, if any? Was he ex-military with any land survival training? What color was the MiG, a bright airshow-style color, or standard silver or camo? I've flown low-level on VR and IR MTRs many times through that area, and though many parts are rugged, it is survivable pending you make it out of your aircraft. However, it being the middle of nowhere, one can easily stay lost in the area. In July 1979, a USAF F-4E Phantom dropped off ARTCCs radar following an airborne emergency, and to this day, no sign of the aircraft or the two crew has ever been found.

Hopefully, the request will go out for federal help in the SAR effort. My base has many H-60 Blackhawks and many A-10s with (C)SAR qualified crews, including myself, that would jump at the chance to aid in the search.

MD
 
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A300, would you happen to know what type of gear he flew with other than the standard life-support gear, if any? Was he ex-military with any land survival training? What color was the MiG, a bright airshow-style color, or standard silver or camo?

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Mike,

He was an ex-marine aviator but don't recall if he flew helicopters or fixed wing. My thoughts were that he's at least had survival training and he's a very resourceful person. My thoughts are also that he may have tried to stay with the plane and put it down somewhere like a lake bed or dirt road and was possibly not successful in doing so since no radio contact has been made.

I don't know what type of survival gear he may have been carrying but I suspect it would've been minimal due to the nature of the flight (aerobatics). I don't know what the condition or type of ejection seat he had but I'd be very wary of a 1950's vintage seat. Don't know if he was wearing a separate parachute. I think the aircraft was red but it's been many years since he showed me a picture and could've been painted since.

He was last reported over the Truth or Consequences area enroute from Roswell to Phoenix and being tracked by Albuquerque Center. He was to perform at an airshow in PHX tomorrow.
 
By GREGORY A. HALL
ghall@courier-journal.com
The Courier-Journal
New Mexico State Police and Civil Air Patrol crews searched for a
second day yesterday for a MiG-17 jet plane and the Louisville pilot who was
flying it.

Both have been missing since Thursday morning, when the plane
disappeared from radar just minutes after the pilot reported fuel-transfer
problems.

New Mexico State Police are not releasing the pilot's name at his
family's request. But a police spokesman, Lt. Jimmy Glascock, said the pilot
works at United Parcel Service. "He's got considerable flight experience
from what I understand," Glascock said.

The MiG-17 BIS is registered to G MAX Inc., of 2105 Arnold Palmer
Blvd. in Louisville, according to a Federal Aviation Administration
database.

A UPS pilot licensed to fly MiGs, George Cambron, lived at the Arnold
Palmer address for three or four years, said Michael Bartlett, a neighbor.
Cambron moved three years ago, Bartlett said. A current address for Cambron
could not be verified yesterday.

The neighbor, Bartlett, said Cambron had offered to fly him in a MiG.

If the person piloting the missing MiG is his former neighbor, "if
there's anybody who can get through it, it'll be George," Bartlett said.

A UPS spokeswoman confirmed the company has a crew member named George
Cambron who was off-duty yesterday afternoon, but she said she could not
release any more information.

Ron Morrison, general manager of Triangle Flying Service at Bowman
Field, said he used to send bills to a George Cambron several years ago at
the Arnold Palmer address.

The MiG was scheduled for a 55-minute flight Thursday from Roswell,
N.M., to Deer Valley Airport near Phoenix, Glascock said. The jet took off
at 9:05 a.m. Louisville time, Glascock said. Only one person was aboard.

The pilot declared an emergency about 20 minutes later. Two minutes
after that, the flight went off radar near Truth or Consequences, N.M.,
Glascock said. Police have found no signs of debris, the plane or the pilot,
he said.

Crews began searching yesterday in an area of about 600 square miles
about eight miles northwest of Truth or Consequences, Glascock said. The
search area expanded during the day, he said. The terrain involved includes
desert and mountains.

According to the FAA registration, the MiG was built in 1963.

The fighter aircraft often are brought to the United States and
converted into airplanes used for pleasure, John Clabes of the Federal
Aviation Administration told The Associated Press.
 
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Departed Roswell, NM

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I'll forgo the alien jokes due to the seriousess of the situation. My hopes and prayers are with him.
 
I just read on landings.com that the wreckage of the Mig 17 was located. The pilot died in the accident and the name of the pilot was confirmed.
 
Yea, we got the tragic news tonight.
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George will be missed by many but I take comfort in the fact he died doing what he truly loved to do. I'll always remember the laughs we had in the school house. May God comfort his family in their time of need and loss.

Tailwinds my friend,

Bill
 
Gotta love the media...

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New Mexico State Police are not releasing the pilot's name at his
family's request.

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...but they find out and publicize the name anyways.
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My condolences A300. Know the feeling well.

Investigation-wise, I'm curious if a bailout attempt was made, assuming it was possible with the situation. It appears the MiG wasn't equipped with an ejection seat (or had it disarmed and bolted in place like many warbirds do), yet the pilot did have a parachute on. I'm interested in what the human factors were of this accident. With the investigation starting, the learning will start as well.

Time will tell.
 
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