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Ok, so it does mention pilot error, basically the failure to compensate for the altitude at the field. If you don't know the story, it's right here:
"Capt. Chris R. Stricklin, of Shelby, Ala., misjudged his altitude before beginning a maneuver, said Col. Robert Beletic, head of the six-member Air Force board that investigated the crash at Mountain Home Air Force Base, southeast of Boise. Stricklin realized his error and ejected after banking the aircraft away from spectators.
Lt. Col. Richard McSpadden, who commands the Air Force precision military flying team, said the pilot was flying a pattern he had performed at least 200 times before. But Stricklin failed to adequately compensate for the airfield's elevation above sea level before beginning the takeoff maneuver known as a split-S, he said.
Instead of topping out at 2,500 feet, the jet was only 1,670 feet above the ground when it rolled over backward to return past the crowd. By then the aircraft was too low for Stricklin to correct the maneuver, Beletic said.
"The pilot made a 1,000-foot mistake at low altitude," Beletic said. "Once he put his nose to the ground, he had to eject at some point."
Stricklin bailed out of the $20.4 million aircraft flying about 250 miles per hour 140 feet above the runway. The jet hit the ground less than a second later and exploded in a fireball. Stricklin was unhurt, and no one on the ground was injured"
Rightclick and "save as"
Spectator Video: http://www.wedda.demon.nl/tbird.wmv
(1.33mb)
Cockpit Video: http://www.wedda.demon.nl/ejection.wmv
(3.19mb)
The cockpit video is awesome! You can tell the pilot knew something was wrong. If you watch, he reached back and forth from the throttle (left hand) to the ejection handle (between the legs) 3 times, pulling the handle on the third time.
"Capt. Chris R. Stricklin, of Shelby, Ala., misjudged his altitude before beginning a maneuver, said Col. Robert Beletic, head of the six-member Air Force board that investigated the crash at Mountain Home Air Force Base, southeast of Boise. Stricklin realized his error and ejected after banking the aircraft away from spectators.
Lt. Col. Richard McSpadden, who commands the Air Force precision military flying team, said the pilot was flying a pattern he had performed at least 200 times before. But Stricklin failed to adequately compensate for the airfield's elevation above sea level before beginning the takeoff maneuver known as a split-S, he said.
Instead of topping out at 2,500 feet, the jet was only 1,670 feet above the ground when it rolled over backward to return past the crowd. By then the aircraft was too low for Stricklin to correct the maneuver, Beletic said.
"The pilot made a 1,000-foot mistake at low altitude," Beletic said. "Once he put his nose to the ground, he had to eject at some point."
Stricklin bailed out of the $20.4 million aircraft flying about 250 miles per hour 140 feet above the runway. The jet hit the ground less than a second later and exploded in a fireball. Stricklin was unhurt, and no one on the ground was injured"
Rightclick and "save as"
Spectator Video: http://www.wedda.demon.nl/tbird.wmv
(1.33mb)
Cockpit Video: http://www.wedda.demon.nl/ejection.wmv
(3.19mb)
The cockpit video is awesome! You can tell the pilot knew something was wrong. If you watch, he reached back and forth from the throttle (left hand) to the ejection handle (between the legs) 3 times, pulling the handle on the third time.