Zooming along at 170 mph in a fighter jet carrying thousands of
pounds of volatile fuel, two Navy pilots faced nothing but bad choices
when their aircraft malfunctioned over Virginia's most populated city.
"Catastrophic
engine system failure right after takeoff, which is always the most
critical phase of flying, leaves very, very few options," said aviation
safety expert and decorated pilot J.F. Joseph. "You literally run out
of altitude, air speed and ideas all at the same time," he said.
Somehow,
however, the student pilot and his instructor and everyone on the
ground survived Friday when the men ejected from their F/A-18D jet
moments before it crashed in a fireball in an apartment complex
courtyard. The pilots and five on the ground were hurt, but all had
been released from the hospital.
Crews
had carefully checked the apartments, and all residents had been
accounted for early Saturday, fire department Capt. Tim Riley said
Saturday. No deaths were reported.
That could change if, for instance, authorities did not know about a guest who had been staying in an apartment, Riley said.
Still,
Navy Adm. John C. Harvey, commander of U.S. Fleet Forces, said Saturday
during a news conference that he was surprised the crash had not
claimed any lives and that he hoped to "keep this amazing miracle
going."
Investigators
will work from the outside of the site toward the center to gather
parts from the jet and examine them, as well as check out the flight
data recorders, Harvey said. The entire investigation could take weeks.
The
airmen were from Naval Air Station Oceana, less than 10 miles away.
They were able to safely escape the aircraft, which weighs up to 50,000
pounds fully fueled and armed, before it careened into the apartment
complex, demolishing sections of some buildings and engulfing others in
flames. Some 40 apartment units were damaged or destroyed. Military
authorities are investigating what happened.
The
two-seat jet had dumped loads of fuel before crashing, though it wasn't
clear if that was because of a malfunction or an intentional maneuver
by the pilots, said Capt. Mark Weisgerber with U.S. Fleet Forces
Command.