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Super Hornet Crash off the Coast of Florida

tomahawk6

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Both aircrew were killed.RIP.

https://www.stripes.com/news/us/navy-jet-crashes-off-key-west-killing-2-crew-members-1.516865

VIRGINIA BEACH -- Two Navy aviators from the Naval Air Station Oceana-based Strike Fighter Squadron 213 died Wednesday after their F/A-18 Super Hornet crashed off the coast of Florida, Naval Air Force Atlantic spokesman Cmdr. Dave Hecht said.
 
My deepest condolences to family and Sqn mates of the fallen.  :salute:
 
A photo of the crash site has been made public.

http://a57.foxnews.com/images.foxnews.com/content/fox-news/us/2018/03/14/navy-fa-18-jet-crashes-off-key-west-official-tells-fox-news/_jcr_content/par/featured_image/media-0.img.jpg/931/524/1521076609221.jpg?ve=1&tl=1
 
Since the aircraft wound up on its back is it fair to say it crashed inverted ?
The names of the air crew has been released.Eye witness' say both were able to eject.The aircraft had lost one engine and then the other on approach to the air field.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/03/16/navy-identifies-2-aviators-killed-in-fa-18-jet-crash-off-key-west.html

The U.S. Navy has identified the two aviators who died Wednesday after their F/A-18F Super Hornet jet crashed off the coast of Key West, Fla.

The aviators have been identified as Lt. Cmdr. James Brice Johnson and Lt. Caleb Nathaniel King, who served in the “Blacklions” of Strike Fighter Squadron Two One Three (VFA-213), the Naval Air Force Atlantic said in a news release Thursday.

“The entire Blacklion Family is grieving the loss of two great Americans. Lt. Cmdr. Johnson and Lt. King were phenomenal young men, exceptional Naval Aviators, and were living models of what Honor, Courage, and Commitment really mean,” said VFA-213’s commanding officer, Cmdr. Kevin Robb.

 
tomahawk6 said:
Since the aircraft wound up on its back is it fair to say it crashed inverted ?

I think that would be pure speculation; it may be the case but it is no way proof of it.  The forces involved when an aircraft hits the water, even in a "controlled" ditching, make it pretty much random.  Large passenger aircraft tend to remain upright as the long fuselage and wings have a balancing effect, but not so much for smaller aircraft.  Simple things like external stores on the wings could pull you over nose first.

Helicopters, unless you can get them on the water, shut down, and extra buoyancy inflated, tend to go turtle routinely because of all the weight up high (engines, transmission).  Even if you get it on the water running and upright, shutting down the head requires a deft touch on the rotor brake lest you catch a tip and it twists you inverted.
 
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