Back in September, I posted about this crash of a B-52 bomber after a pair of Navy choppers did some illicit dipping into Lake Tahoe. The B-52 crashed in 1994, during practice for an upcoming air show, killing all four on board. The Air Force has just released its probe into the July 28 crash of a C-17 cargo plane in Alaska…during practice for an upcoming air show, killing all four on board:
After the initial climb out and left turn, the pilot executed an aggressive right turn. As the aircraft banked, the stall warning system activated to alert the crew of an impending stall. Instead of implementing stall recovery procedures, the pilot continued the turn as planned, and the aircraft entered a stall from which recovery was not possible. Although the pilot eventually attempted to recover the aircraft, he employed incorrect procedures, and there was not sufficient altitude to regain controlled flight.
Investigators blamed hot-dogging pilots for both crashes. It’s one thing to fly like this when you’re the lone occupant strapped into a fighter, but something else when your joy-riding kills three of your compatriots. See the minute-long fatal flight here. “The footage has been edited to cut off just prior to the aircraft’s impact,” the Air Force says, “out of consideration and respect for the families of the deceased.”