# 18 Nov 10 - CF-18 Down in Cold Lake; Pilot Ejected & Found



## The Bread Guy (18 Nov 2010)

First fragmentary report from the Canadian Press:


> The Rescue Co-Ordination Centre at CFB Trenton, Ont., says a Canadian fighter jet has crashed overnight.
> 
> The CF-18 went down in Cold Lake, Alta., around 1:30 this morning.
> 
> ...


Here's hoping for a speedy recovery from any injuries the pilot may have taken.


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## The Bread Guy (18 Nov 2010)

More details from the Canadian Press:


> A pilot escaped with only minor injuries when his CF-18 fighter jet crashed into a wooded area near Canadian Forces Base, Cold Lake, Alta.
> 
> Capt. Keith Hoey, spokesman for the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre at CFB Trenton, Ont., says the plane was returning from a mission when it went down just before midnight local time.
> 
> ...


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## GAP (18 Nov 2010)

Hmmm....we may need those F-35's sooner than we think....


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## old medic (18 Nov 2010)

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/Canadian+fighter+crashes+pilot+ejects/3848267/story.html



> A Canadian fighter jet crashed overnight in northern Alberta, but the pilot was able to eject safely, according to the Canadian Forces.
> 
> Capt. Darren Blaikie was approaching CFB Cold Lake at about 11:45 p.m. when his CF-18 Hornet went down about 13 kilometres north of the base, said spokesman Lt. David Lavallee.
> 
> ...





The Canadian Press
Date: Thursday Nov. 18, 2010 11:46 AM ET



> COLD LAKE, Alta. — A Canadian Forces pilot is in good condition after ejecting from his CF-18 fighter jet before it crashed in darkness during final approach to a northern Alberta air base.
> 
> A military spokesman says Capt. Darren Blakie was at the controls when his plane went down in a field 13 kilometres northwest of Canadian Forces Base Cold Lake a few minutes before midnight on Wednesday.
> 
> ...


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## Nfld Sapper (18 Nov 2010)

News Room
CF-18 Hornet crashes near 4 Wing Cold Lake
NR 10.002 - November 18, 2010


Winnipeg, Man. – At approximately 11:45 p.m. MST on November 17, a CF-18 Hornet fighter jet crashed in a field approximately 13 kilometers northwest of 4 Wing Cold Lake, Alta.

The pilot, Captain Darren Blakie of 409 Tactical Fighter Squadron, successfully ejected from the aircraft and was taken to hospital upon being recovered. He is in good condition and is being released from hospital. 

The exact cause of the crash is unknown at this time. The Directorate of Flight Safety has begun an investigation into the crash.

- 30 -

Note to Editors:

For more information, please call the Media Liaison Office at 1-866-377-0811 / (613) 996-2353.


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## Jarnhamar (18 Nov 2010)

How long before it takes our noble politicans to use this to start flinging mud at each other?


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## The Bread Guy (18 Nov 2010)

Grimaldus said:
			
		

> How long before it takes our noble politicans to use this to start flinging mud at each other?


Tick, tick, tick...


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## Journeyman (18 Nov 2010)

Grimaldus said:
			
		

> How long before it takes our noble politicans to use this to start flinging mud at each other?


To tide you over while waiting, you can always read the wisdom posted by the usual dolts following CBC's reporting.   ;D


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## The Bread Guy (18 Nov 2010)

Journeyman said:
			
		

> To tide you over while waiting, you can always read the wisdom posted by the usual dolts following CBC's reporting.   ;D


Apart from commentary from "the usual suspects" in the stories themselves?


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## HavokFour (18 Nov 2010)

More reason why we need those F-35's.

I hope you're watching, Iggy.


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## dapaterson (18 Nov 2010)

HavokFour said:
			
		

> More reason why we need those F-35's.
> 
> I hope you're watching, Iggy.



Be careful with all that jumping to conclusions - you could hurt yourself.

There's nothing out there to indicate the cause of the incident - be it aircraft age, parts failure, maintenance error, or pilot error.


Usign the same type of leaps of logic and assuming pilot error one could argue this is a reason to abandon manned aircraft altogether - a conclusion as erroneous as yours.


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## ArmyRick (18 Nov 2010)

Glad to hear they got the pilot.

The investigation on the crash is not done (I beleive anyways) but I think regarless of circumstances, everybody agrees that flying 28 year old fighter aircraft is not the best idea going.


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## Bass ackwards (18 Nov 2010)

Related SAR question:

I'm given to understand that much of the airspace around there is restricted.
So if you had a plane down and were unable to locate the pilot for whatever reason, would civilian assets like CASARA be utilized ? 

I too, am glad the pilot is OK.


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## Zoomie (18 Nov 2010)

CASARA doesn't do too much searching at night.  The Griffin was/is more than capable of conducting the search.  Kudos to the CSS crew from Cool Pool.

DFS investigations are usually one year from accident to release - don't expect anything anytime soon.  The Lethbridge crash has only had a preliminary report released.


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## Bass ackwards (18 Nov 2010)

Zoomie said:
			
		

> CASARA doesn't do too much searching at night.  The Griffin was/is more than capable of conducting the search.  Kudos to the CSS crew from Cool Pool.



Thanks, Zoomie.
I wasn't so much referring to this particular incident or a night search. Just a scenario where a pilot was missing in a restricted  area like Primrose Lake.
I have no idea what a pilot carries on his (or her) person in the way of radios or ELTs etc (or, for that matter, how reliable they are) or how many effective military search platforms are available in that area. 
I was just more curious if a civilian service like CASARA could ever conceivably be called into that airspace.


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## PMedMoe (18 Nov 2010)

dapaterson said:
			
		

> Be careful with all that jumping to conclusions - you could hurt yourself.



Hey!  Some of us could use the exercise!


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## Zoomie (18 Nov 2010)

Bass ackwards said:
			
		

> I was just more curious if a civilian service like CASARA could ever conceivably be called into that airspace.



Gotcha - sorry that I missed out on the meaning there.

Restricted Airspace is controlled by the "controlling agency" - in the case of a search, if required, any and all assets (including CASARA) could be employed within that airspace.  Since any missing aircraft would most likely be military, the search would have to be pretty extensive in order to go this far.


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## SupersonicMax (18 Nov 2010)

Bass ackwards said:
			
		

> I have no idea what a pilot carries on his (or her) person in the way of radios or ELTs etc (or, for that matter, how reliable they are) or how many effective military search platforms are available in that area.



We have 1 handheld beaconthat transmit an emergency signal on 406 MHz as well as 121.5 MHz. Limited battery life, especially in cold weather.  We do not have any 2-Way radios.  Upon ejection, depending on a switch selection in the cockpit (essentially, it's ON for training, OFF for war time (ie: you don't want the bad guys seeing you)) upon ejection, the jet will Squawk 7700 on the transponder on its own (emergency) and transmit a bailout tone on Guard and the current frequencies the pilot is talking on.

We have quite a few signaling devices, most are best used during daytime.  Flares obviously work well at night. The best signal at night, IMO, is making a huge motherf****** fire.



			
				Bass ackwards said:
			
		

> I was just more curious if a civilian service like CASARA could ever conceivably be called into that airspace.



I am pretty sure that when a pilot bails out, all the assets available (be it civilian or military) will be deployed in order to find him/her.  At that point, who cares about the airspace.  During normal working hours there are a lot of civilian helicopter traffic in the CLAWR anyways.


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## Trueblue (19 Nov 2010)

Anyone from 409 Sq/4 Wing hear anything about the case of ejection? I saw an interview on the news last night with the pilot and all he said was "I couldn't believe I was going to have to eject." but no mention as to why he had to.


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## Strike (19 Nov 2010)

Because of the ongoing flight safety investigation he wouldn't be permitted to release info on WHY he had to eject.


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## NovaScotiaNewfie (19 Nov 2010)

Would the TSB, NAVCanada and the RCMP have any part of investigation into the crash or just the CF?


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## Strike (19 Nov 2010)

NovaScotiaNewfie said:
			
		

> Would the TSB, NAVCanada and the RCMP have any part of investigation into the crash or just the CF?



They would have a small part to play if it happened on civvie land, but DFS's mandate follows all those mentioned above so they are pretty much permitted to carry out their investigations on their own.


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## Strike (19 Nov 2010)

Just so everyone is aware, the A-GA-135-001/AA-001 Flight Safety for the Canadian Forces manual states:

To prevent impending the investigation and to avoid premature or incorrect conclusions, the following shall not be released:
-	Privileged information, such as witness statements, related evidence and all flight recorder information;
-	Statements that tend to indicate responsibility of the Crown or any person;
-	Statements that imply failure of equipment or facilities;
-	Premature speculation that could jeopardize the conduct of the investigation;
-	Statements on causes to civilians, including news media representatives.

Note that this list is not the complete one, just the points that pertain to this thread.


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## NavyShooter (19 Nov 2010)

Strike,

Glad to see facts stated rather than "opinions" spouted.

As previously mentioned, glad to hear the pilot was able to walk away from this, and while it's a shame to lose an airplane, at least it was only the airplane that was lost.

NS


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## Bass ackwards (19 Nov 2010)

Thank you, Zoomie and Max, for the information.


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## gun runner (20 Nov 2010)

C'mon people(gov't types C1A1), these planes are getting on 30 years old ok? lets et some new ones already! My :2c:!


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## ammocat (21 Nov 2010)

At what point would EOD personnel become involved in this situation? Luckily, in this case the pilot ejected safely. However, in the event the ejection was not successful or the pilot was unable to eject, could search and rescue personnel be put in harms way by being exposed to explosive hazards while trying to recover the pilot? Is EOD involved in the search and rescue to clear explosive hazards to facilitate a safe recovery?


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## PuckChaser (21 Nov 2010)

ammocat said:
			
		

> Is EOD involved in the search and rescue to clear explosive hazards to facilitate a safe recovery?



That seems to make the most sense. To me, if EOD was involved then perhaps there was live ordinance on the aircraft that may have been damaged in the crash, or jettisoned prior to the crash that needs to be cleared for both the SAR effort and to return the area to normal.


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## Journeyman (21 Nov 2010)

ammocat said:
			
		

> Is EOD involved in the search and rescue to clear explosive hazards to facilitate a safe recovery?


SAR, which in this scenario, has the finding and recovery of the pilot as its sole purpose, does not include EOD. Aircraft recovery is a separate business.

While theoretically the SAR Tech(s) may be exposed to risks where an EOD tech would be handy, it's just one more hazard involved in a rescue. Rescues are often time-sensitive, and there are weight/crew number factors with most SAR aircraft, so it's a risk that's been weighed but deemed not critical.

Various technical experts, including EOD, can be involved in the recovery depending on aircraft type. Before that, the DFS investigators would _likely_ [out of my lane here] seek supporting expertise -- there are plenty of things on a military aircraft that can ruin your day besides ordinance.


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## Scott (22 Nov 2010)

Thread has been purged. 

Read Strike's info above about posting info about an active and ongoing investigation. Anyone coming remotely close to doing so will be banned.

Simple.

Staff


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