When you know your career has hit dead end

[REWahoo]

A mechanic with the Belgian air force was servicing an aircraft when he accidentally opened fire on another F-16 jet fighter sitting on the tarmac, destroying it, local media reported this week.

... the accident was caused by the negligent discharge of the six-barrel 20 mm Vulcan M61A-1 cannon on another F-16.

Oops...


https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/...-opens-fire-by-mistake-blows-up-another-f-16/

 

[MichaelB]

Oops is right. Wonder how this was reported up the chain of command.

 

[Midpack]

Yep, big oops.

 

[Red Badger]

"I wonder why this trigger switch is red? Lemme check it out......"

"Well that explains it."

 

[braumeister]

Four more and he'll be an ace!

 

[easysurfer]

Gotta cut the guy some slack. What's a F-16 jet fighter among friends?

 

[copyright1997reloaded]

It appears the 20 mm Vulcan's work pretty [-]well[/-]effectively.

 

[Alectoris]

When I read this the other day I was a bit stunned and then I remembered to never underestimate what people are capable of.

The Belgian Air Force apparently needs to have some remedial lessons in the 4 rules of firearms safety.

For the former military folks on this thread, can you imagine the safety stand down that will happen due to this incident?

Thankfully the only loss was a multimillion dollar aircraft and some hearing. 20mm ain't no joke.

 

[corn18]

There would have to be a lot of safeties that were bypassed to allow this to happen.

 

[VanWinkle]

Oh ya, the button stuck and the brakes failed!! Had to be a malfunction.

 

[aja8888]

Maybe it will buff out?

 

[foxfirev5]

One more thing to look out for from the Boca Chica station next month.

 

[Go-NoGo]

Speed tape (like duct tape, only better) to the rescue

 

[LastOfTheBoomers]

Still not as bad as the USS Miami!

 

[Walt34]

Still not as bad as the USS Miami!

I had to look that one up. Yow, with repair crews like that who needs enemies?

 

[NW-Bound]

Maybe it will buff out?

Speed tape (like duct tape, only better) to the rescue

What are you talking about?

This is a job for Bondo. Maybe JB Weld to be safe.

 

[Walt34]

I wonder if he'll get fired, or will they send him back to school for remedial training?

 

[MichaelB]

I wonder if he'll get fired, or will they send him back to school for remedial training?

Probably get a promotion. Executive potential here

 

[Bamaman]

They may have lost 25% of the Belgium Air Force in this one incident.

 

[Walt34]

They may have lost 25% of the Belgium Air Force in this one incident.

Not quite. According to this source they have [-]forty-four[/-] forty-three F-16s.

 

[audreyh1]

There would have to be a lot of safeties that were bypassed to allow this to happen.

Yeah - that has me flabbergasted.

 

[Retiree_Having_Fun]

That's how feel when I damp cloth my keyboard.

 

[travelover]

I worked as a mechanic before and we always were instructed to thoroughly test anything we repaired to ensure it was in working order.

 

[Spock]

In the late 1980's I was consulting with Northwest Airlines maintenance facility.
The normal routine is you start with 1 spare set of ready to go engines. A plane comes in for overhaul, they take the engines off, put the spare set on, and send the bird back out. The overhaul the set that just came off to get ready to install on the another plane when it comes in.
One of the mechs filled the overhaul engines with hydraulic fluid (corrosive). So NWA had a 100M aircraft sitting out on the tarmac for a couple of months waiting for a set of engines to be made ready.

 

[Scuba]

"I wonder why this trigger switch is red? Lemme check it out......"

"Well that explains it."

[emoji23]