Rocket accidentally fired from Air Force jet in Arizona desert

[TWP]

You know how every now and then at work you screw up and you get that bolt of deep powerful ancient fear that shoots up your spine as if Mother Nature herself needed to let you know you made a booboo? And those mistakes rarely involve putting others in harms way.

Imagine accidentally launching a damn rocket off into god knows where and how this dude felt on the flight back.

 

[Pilot Fighter]

For us, a situation like that, the FENCE-in would take place, but due to switchology restrictions, we wouldn’t select any stations, any master arm, or any fuzing until within the Restricted Area boundary, just for this reason. You can do all other parts of the FENCE though outside of there, as applicable.

Did your A-10 checklist include a "confirm ROE" or something that would give pause someplace in the checklist? My crew has burned through a checklist and realized we should have stopped at x. This is more likely to happen in a multiplace aircraft where crew dives into systems prep and loses situational awareness as far as location relative to range.

In a singleplace aircraft, I can see how fear of getting swamped might result in cheating to get ahead of the curve.

 

[MikeD]

Did your A-10 checklist include a "confirm ROE" or something that would give pause someplace in the checklist? My crew has burned through a checklist and realized we should have stopped at x. This is more likely to happen in a multiplace aircraft where crew dives into systems prep and loses situational awareness as far as location relative to range.

In a singleplace aircraft, I can see how fear of getting swamped might result in cheating to get ahead of the curve.

In a situation like this, the pilot should never get to that point vis a vis weapons release, because he’s inside a piece of airspace where there aren’t any expenditures that can be made, except for self defense flares. Everything else that can be expended, would be at least two switch positions away at a minimum.

 

[Pilot Fighter]

In a situation like this, the pilot should never get to that point vis a vis weapons release, because he’s inside a piece of airspace where there aren’t any expenditures that can be made, except for self defense flares. Everything else that can be expended, would be at least two switch positions away at a minimum.

I get that. My point is that I've never seen that in a check list where it probably belongs.

 

[MikeD]

I get that. My point is that I've never seen that in a check list where it probably belongs.

Oh yes, agreed. At least something that can create a pause. It’s tougher in a single seat fighter only because everything apart from EP checklists, are usually not done with a checklist, they’re just done with a flow; due to just having to know what needs to be done when, and how to do it, as there may not be the time or ability to run a formal checklist. However for of what you describe is certainly a help in preventing situations like these generally, as you well describe.

 

[Pilot Fighter]

Oh yes, agreed. At least something that can create a pause. It’s tougher in a single seat fighter only because everything apart from EP checklists, are usually not done with a checklist, they’re just done with a flow; due to just having to know what needs to be done when, and how to do it, as there may not be the time or ability to run a formal checklist. However for of what you describe is certainly a help in preventing situations like these generally, as you well describe.

Yeah, flow could be item 1, item 2. Item 3, ROE check, item 5...