RAF Harrier crash at Kandahar - Video

[james84]

Have yoo ever seen this? The pilot made a mistake while landing. The aircraft has been lost, but he survived!
Photo of the ejection
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v634/ ... g_6195.jpg

Video
http://www.patricksaviation.com/videos/cpasley/4866/

[kungfuman]

Nasty!

Glad to see the pilot ejected safely, especially when those flames started licking around the cockpit canopy. Was that recent footage?

Anyone know the reason why it happened? My guess is that it wasn't pilot error - the fact that he was being filmed and photographed suggests, as someone wrote on the video page, that drama was expected. The approach speed struck me as being very quick for an aircraft normally capable of STOL operations.

[sprocky]

Dan,

rightclick on image -> Properties: HarrierSundayTimes17may2009

Impact looks horrible. The harrier seems to have a hard shell. Good to see the pilot survive.

[clarke123]

Yep, last year, it was engine failure. Here's the pilots story http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/u ... 301835.ece

[kungfuman]

No wonder he may have come in fast (assuming he did - not easy to tell...) The Harrier is not a good glider