When US Navy Pilots Miss the Arrestor Cables During Aircraft Carrier Landing

The admiration i have for all of the crew is immeasurable

I was a Flight Surgeon in the Navy in the late 60's. I occasionally flew on and off the ship in the S2 as copilot. I have the GREATEST RESPECT for the pilots and crew. They are men of INCREDIBLE valor and skill. Night ops are extremely difficult especially in weather. May God bless them and their families. It was my honor to serve with them.

I was on the Ike CVN 69 for 2 years. Some footage was from our ship. I had the opportunity to go on the flight deck for launching and recover of aircraft. The amont of energy that I felt was unbelievable. The power and noise all around was was overwhelming! Living on the ship is a unique experience. One of the greatest challenges was getting enough sleep. Planes flew all hours of the day and night, bells and announcements constantly all night long.

As being a Marine on a aircraft carrier I have seen at least 2 aircraft & sometimes pilots lost during bad weather or night landing especially for junior pilots after at least one failed attempt to land. I have also seen a pilot plow into the stern of the carrier. I have also seen the deck crew erect the aircraft netting when a aircraft for whatever reason can not land otherwise.

I was in a fighter squadron VF-111 attached to CVN70 USS Carl Vinson. I was an avionics technician assigned to a workshop. We maintained the weapons systems and other various avionics. We worked on the flight deck for launches, and maintenance after flight operations. The flight deck is an extremely busy place on a launch, it is crowded, you need to keep you head on a swivel for jet blast, jet intake, and any propeller aircraft. I made one west pac cruise, and we had 0 fatalities on the flight deck . We did lose one jet to a failure of the arresting cable; the pilot landed caught the wire, and it broke in the engine room located below the flight deck. The plane slowed down, and went over the front of the ship, the two crew ejected; the rio landed on the flight deck, and the pilot went into the water, the captain quickly steered the ship to avoid running over him; both crew were recovered, but lost the aircraft, it all happened in a matter of seconds. It was around midnight so completely dark. Space was tight on the ship , but workable; it was a very challenging environment

"When a bolter takes place, the pilot must immediately go full-throttle while simultaneously steering the a/c..." Actually, Navy pilots ALWAYS go full-throttle when they come in for a landing (not talking helo pilots or any of the more exotic a/c that arrived after my retirement), on the assumption that they didn't manage to snag one of the arresting cables--as in "better safe than sorry." This acceleration is let up once the pilot is convinced he/she managed to hook up with a cable. But in case they didn't, the aircraft would be doing a "touch-and-go" and loop around for another try. When things are truly dire, they bring out "the barrier," which is nothing more than a huge net they string across the flightdeck to "catch" the aircraft.

Amazing! This is some of the most specialized and intense training in the world.

Great video. 4 years on the carrier Hancock 63-67 W division. Loved it. Incredible talent these pilots. Word was, "Your only as good as your last trap".

My first deployment was a bit of a challenge due to being a Marine veteran and changing to the Navy. Most welcomed me and a select few in my department had a problem with my presence. All in all, I enjoyed my time and would do it again! 👍

This is well explain and thorough, nice.

I absolutely love the FA-18 . I watched the Blue Angels put on two shows at the Annapolis graduation every year for almost 30 years and I never got tired of the spectacular show that they put on . I miss those days.

When I boarded the USS Hancock in the 60's.....the flight deck was still wooden...(that's not a typo) Half way through my 4 year tour we went into dry dock for a total refit....

💙💙💙💙 my Daddy retired from Navy in 1966 after serving 23 yrs!! Navy #1!!!

I’m proud of our Navy!!!

THANK YOU for not burying your video under tons of ads.

A very instructive video. A real changing affair depending on conditions. Thank you for the video! Always enjoyable. 😊

I am currently a Welding Subcontractor and have been for the past 29 years. There is always something new to learn aboard the US Navy ships. So, I will keep the question short and direct. While watching this video I know there is so much more detail about managing composure and discipline I think which is most important here. Ultimately, my question is what steps are taken if one is not grasping the very difficult responsibilities and protocols for the job or tasks at hand when they are assigned these duties. I understand that is why the training is put into place. But how much training is too much for the individual to be transferred or relocated to a different assignment? Thank you in advance and keep up the excellent work to the men and women on the flight deck. Sam Oglesby San Diego, Ca

The opening image shows a Harrier that does not have an arrester hook fitted and never needs arrestor cables!!

I really enjoyed the detail of information as well as the relevant video clips in this presentation.

Proud of all the sailors! What a fantastic job you all have.