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USAF F-15 loses canopy at 21K feet
A California Air National Guard F-15C pilot belonging to the 144th Fighter Wing was able to land his Eagle at Fresno Air National Guard Base, California, after the canopy of the single-seat fighter blew off while it was flying at 21,000 feet.
The mishap F-15 was one of two Eagles belonging to the 144th Fighter wing. Both the aircraft were involved in a flyover at the start of the Clovis Rodeo Saturday just before 2 p.m. after the National Anthem.
The pilot declared the emergency at approximately 2:30 p.m., while flying over military training airspace above the Sierra Nevada mountains.
The pilot was able to land the F-15 and stopping it on the runway where emergency personnel went to its aid.
The F-15 pilot was evaluated by EMS, but it’s not known about his/her condition.
According to Jason Sanchez, spokesperson for the 144th Fighter Wing, no injuries were reported.
“There’s an ongoing investigation, and protecting the integrity of that investigation is critical. Because of this, the policy doesn’t allow us to discuss this matter in detail. We continue to be grateful that there are no reported injuries,” he told to Fox News 26.
Safe landing
Retired US Air Force (USAF) Colonel Rob Swertfager who served with 144th Fighter Wing says this kind of malfunction is both extremely uncommon and incredibly dangerous.
“This would be like driving a sports car, convertible, at 300 to 500 miles an hour. Your time to survive when you are low level is seconds,” he told to ABC7Chicago.
An F-15C, like that involved in the mishap, can fly up to 50,000 feet. If a pilot is anywhere above 30,000, Swertfager says they can quickly lose consciousness.
He pointed out that flying without the protective canopy at high altitudes is equally, if not more, perilous.
“A human can’t breathe or survive up there without life support systems,” he explained.
As we have already explained, this is not the first time a fighter pilot is able to land his fighter jet after the aircraft lost its canopy in flight.
In 2002 in fact, US Navy Tomcat pilot then Lt. Geoff Vickers from Fighter Squadron 213 (VF-213) Black Lions was able to land F-14D (BuNo. 164341) without canopy after his Backseater erroneously Bailed Out (CLICK HERE to read the full story).
144th Fighter Wing
The 144th Fighter Wing is subordinate to the 1st Air Force and is comprised of the several Groups, including the 144th Operations Group.
The 144th Fighter Wing flew the F-16 Fighting Falcon before transitioning to the F-15C Eagle in June 2013 with the arrival of the first of 21 F-15 Eagles. The last F-16 departed on November 7, 2013 and the wing was declared a fully operational capable F-15 Eagle unit on June 23, 2016.
The 144th Operations Group is home to the 194th Fighter Squadron and the 144th Operations Support Flight which directly support the Air Sovereignty Alert mission and daily flying training in the F-15 Eagle.
Photo credit: Johnny Park/FOX26
