Thunderbird 4 AAIB final report

[MIKE JG]

Here is the full AAIB report of the accident that took the life of Thunderbird #4, Maj. Stephen Del Bagno.

https://media.defense.gov/2018/Oct/16/2 ... REPORT.PDF

Worth the read if you have the time. Makes me really, really appreciate what these guys do on a daily basis.

[Victory103]

Tough read,knowing how much these guys train on and off duty, all the former fighter guys I know are big into cardio. Lost the previous AIB link in 2014 where I would read all the reports. I had heard that due to the F-16 requiring the 9G centrifuge qual, many Guard guys just get too "old" to fly them.

[MIKE JG]

I've heard more than one Guard guy say it's a "young man's" airplane, seems like a lot of them end up with neck issues from always straining to look over their shoulder.

What gets me about this accident is that he went from -2 G's to +8 in about 6 seconds. Not sure anyone could withstand that without losing consciousness.