Sat, Oct 08, 2005
A catastrophic,
cascading sequence of events, beginning with the inflight failure
of the power takeoff shaft, caused a U-2S surveillance and
reconnaissance aircraft to crash June 22 in Southwest Asia, killing
the pilot, according to Air Force investigators.
The aircraft was returning to a forward-deployed location from a
high-altitude intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance mission
at the time of the accident. It was assigned to the 9th
Reconnaissance Wing at Beale Air Force Base, Calif.
The inflight failure of the power takeoff shaft resulted in an
instantaneous loss of power to the airframe-mounted accessory
drive, according to the Accident Investigation Board report
released Oct. 6. That caused the aircraft to lose its hydraulics
systems, alternating current and direct current generators, primary
cockpit lighting and cockpit multifunctional displays. The failures
occurred during a critical phase of flight -- a descending turn
below 3,500 feet in preparation for a night landing.
The vibration and noise caused by the inflight failure of the
takeoff shaft, followed by the immediate loss of multifunctional
displays, led the pilot to conclude the aircraft was experiencing a
serious engine malfunction when in actuality the engine was
operating, board investigators said.
With the entire mishap sequence lasting only 63 seconds, human
factors such as task over-saturation, channelized attention and
spatial disorientation substantially contributed to the pilot's
loss of situational awareness and the steady descent of the
aircraft until it impacted the ground, officials said.
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