Thunderbirds Grounded after Chicago Collision

[mikea]

A missile rail broke off an Air Force F-16 fighter and plunged into Lake Michigan as the Thunderbirds precision flying team performed Saturday at the Chicago Air & Water Show.
http://www.suntimes.com/includes/frontpage_phototable/images/airshow21.jpg

Update (8:40 a.m.): The Air Force Thunderbirds unit will not perform Sunday at the Air and Water Show after part of a missile rail fell into Lake Michigan during Saturday's maneuvers.

Two aircraft touched while in a diamond formation, said Lt. Col. Mike Chandler. No one was hurt and the fallen rail was not recovered. Aircraft damage is still being assessed.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-0508210227aug21,1,4214715.story?coll=chi-news-hed

The Thunderbirds are grounded. They cancelled today's performance at the Chicago Air and Water show - you know, the one that shows how much Chicago likes airplanes.

The Friends of Meigs used to charter a boat to watch the show from the water. As I recall they don't let boats moor under the air show box. This is one reason why.

 

[Maverick]

Leave it to the TV News reporters to get things confused.

This morning I was watching Fox2 news here in the Detroit area and when they reported on the Thunderbirds Chicago incident they said that all F16s were grounded and that the Air Force was still looking for the missle that fell into Lake Michigan.

Jeannie

 

[Ghery]

And the ABC outlet in Seattle last night said that investigators were baffled as to what the object was and that nothing was missing from the aircraft. This after I read about it on this board. TV news is a waste of time.

 

[Dave Krall CFII]

Some photos of the "incident". # -1 tells the tale.

Those guys should practice more...

Related post WWII joke:

A guy that knows a little bit about the then rapidly evolving world of fast flying airplanes looks up to see in the distance a diamond formation doing high speed loops & such & exclaims; "If that pilot doesn't slow down that plane's gonna break apart !!!" ...sorry

 

[silver-eagle]

Based on what I read, the Thunderbirds will be flying this weekend at WESTFIELD MA (aka BARNES) following the mishap this past weekend.

http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?storyID=123011395