# Royal Thai Air Force JAS 39 Gripen Crash



## tomahawk6 (14 Jan 2017)

Pretty stunning.This was at the Childrens Air Show.One instant everything seems normal and then the jet goes nose down.RIP to the pilot 
Sqn Ldr Dilokrit Pattavee.He was killed when the Swedish-made Jas 39C Gripen fighter jet crashed on a runway at Wing 56 during the air show at around 9.27am while performing a surprise attack manoeuvre. 


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyyI4pIaPcY


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## SeaKingTacco (14 Jan 2017)

Looked to me like he rolled inverted to conduct a sim ground attack, pulled the nose down and then realized that he was too low. Ouch.


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## jollyjacktar (14 Jan 2017)

At least it was quick and he didn't suffer.


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## Loachman (14 Jan 2017)

SeaKingTacco said:
			
		

> Looked to me like he rolled inverted to conduct a sim ground attack, pulled the nose down and then realized that he was too low. Ouch.



It did look somewhat similar to the old CF5 "Pop" manoeuvre (low-level run in from the Initial Point (IP), thirty-degree climbing offset from the attack heading, sixty degree return back to the target with a roll at the top of the "pop" to nearly-inverted in order to look "up" to the target, level dive for the final run, fire/drop, and depart at low level), but there didn't seem to be much of a "pop" - and his turn and following track took him well away from the crowd. I'd be interested in seeing the results of the investigation - speculation is often w - a - y wrong.

And (unrelated sidetrack) the CF5 guys started much lower. I was frequently surprised that some of them did not return with twigs or moose antlers in their leading edges.


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## SupersonicMax (14 Jan 2017)

I tought it looked more like a barrel roll initiated at too low an altitude...


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## Loachman (14 Jan 2017)

I don't recall ever seeing a fighter do a barrel roll at an airshow, but that's a possibility, I suppose.

Nothing substantive in any of the press reports online, although a fire truck apparently rolled over on its way to the crash site.


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## SupersonicMax (14 Jan 2017)

During a pop attack, you don't completely roll over.  You pull up, over-rotate to approx 135 degrees angle of bank and roll out.  The guy kept rolling past inverted which is not how you conduct a pop.  That's why I think it more a barrel roll-type maneuver.


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## Loachman (14 Jan 2017)

That's why I said "nearly inverted" - I was not sure about the exact angle of bank, and I cannot remember what the timing was/is either.

How much do you guys practice this these days?

It was always fun to watch, especially when they followed shallow valleys, and I was looking down on them while nestled in the trees on a slight hill. And they were very hard to track when doing that. Most of our FACking was done in more open and level ground, so that was a rare treat.

Most of the online press reports said that he was conducting a "surprise attack", but it was definitely odd-looking compared to what I was used to seeing. It looked like he paused his roll while inverted, and continued the roll at a reduced rate compared to his entry.


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