F18 crash in DV, 4 Oct

[Candace66]

How did you get that info from Flight Radar 24?

BTW, one of the first articles I read stated the crash site was near the Nevada state line. I don't have a link, I found it via a google search right after I first learned of the crash (from the Park's facebook post).

Wherever it is, there will be noticeable ground and air traffic in the area. There are a limited number of roads out there.

[Desert Fog]

Hi Candace,

For FR24 I converted the 3:00 pm crash time to UTC and then did a play back starting an hour ahead watching the general area of the south end of the park.  Most aviation doesn't fly through that area and when one flew directly to the area I clicked on it and it showed the USN ID from Yuma.  I zoomed out to include Yuma and played it again and watched it fly legs directly to the crash area.

Then it dropped down off tracking or they turned off their ADS-B as they were flying east.  I am not sure if their is a usable runway in that section of the base but the USN plane didn't appear back on tracking. 

I also saw a few articles reference the Nevada state line.

[Candace66]

Ah, okay. I tried again and figured out how to do the playback.

2200 UTC = 3:00 PM PDT (per timeanddate.com).

I found a KC-130, callsign DRAFT 82, that was flying from Yuma to ?. I first spotted it at about 2257 UTC, southwest of Ft. Irwin. It continued flying NW until it was west of Ft Irwin.

Then at about 2302 UTC, it turned north, then northeast, then east. Then I saw the icon change directions a few times. Then at about 2310 UTC it dropped off.

While all that was going on, it was still some distance from the Park boundary. Perhaps they turned off the publicly visible tracking before flying toward the crash site?

[DVexile]

Good find on FR24!

So yes that seems very likely to be related as the PR states that MAWTS 1 out of Yuma supported the SAR operation.

Based on the FR24 data it actually looks like they landed on a dirt airstrip on China Lake's ranges.  They fly directly to a strip you can see on satellite (not the one linked earlier) and pass over it at about 1000 FT AGL and 190 kts as if visually inspecting it.  Then they turn 180 and begin a descending and slowing path that looks like setting up an approach from the west (i.e. landing headed east).  Their last ADS-B on the way in is only at 2700 ft MSL while the dirt airstrip is at about 2400 ft and they slow way down to 120 kts which sure looks like an approach.  This all around 23:08 UTC Oct 4.  Call sign DRAFT82 if you want to search for it.

They next appear at about 01:18 UTC Oct 5 at 3125 ft MSL and 164 kts just south of the strip now heading west - looks like having turned in a pattern after a take off to the east.  164 kts is right in the max climb range for the C-130.

So it sure looks like they landed there for two hours.  This is the strip they appear to have landed at:

https://www.google.com/maps/@35.522937,-...e3!5m1!1e4

It looks like from another article that MEDVAC that extracted the pilot was from Fort Irwin:

https://www.dvidshub.net/news/407027/des...al-aviator

The MEDVAC was wheels up by 22:22 UTC according to the article so likely the show was mostly over by the time DRAFT82 got to the area.  Maybe their role was support if needed and so just land and hang out for a bit just in case before heading home?  Or drop stuff off for later recovery operations?  I have no idea or experience of course...

Yes, and I saw mentions of the Nevada border in one early article which made little sense since no part of remote southern Death Valley is particularly close to the NV border.  Ah well, it's all one big empty space on the map to most of the news media anyway...

I worked with someone that went out to help clean up a military air crash in a DV wilderness area many moons ago.  It sounded like a long and slow operation.  Sounded like everything was done by helicopter given the location for that one.  So probably wherever it is there will be a fair bit of activity for awhile but presumably they don't do clean up until after some amount of investigation?

Anyway, the good news is that it sounds like the pilot is alright!

[DeathValleyDazed]

Good find on FR24! 
Anyway, the good news is that it sounds like the pilot is alright!

Hey Exile, I'm impressed with your ability to log the interactions associated with the crash. My neighbor is a private pilot and he takes his iPad along using an amazing app that practically flies the plane displaying all the three dimensional markers he needs in real time. it also tracks other planes nearby so it adds to his safety. Pretty cool stuff.

[Candace66]

Since it has cooled off, I'm headed to the area north of Baker and south of Shoshone to bag some peaks. So maybe I'll see some activity, or maybe not.