$600K Damage to Fighter Jets Due to Photo-Taking Pilot
Newser • • world
Key Points:
- A wingman pilot, on his final flight with the unit, used his personal phone to take photos during the flight after announcing his plan in a pre-flight briefing, leading to dangerous maneuvers and a mid-air collision with the lead jet.
- The wingman ascended and rolled his jet to get better shots, causing the lead aircraft to dive to avoid impact, but the jets still collided, damaging the wing and tail stabilizer.
- Initially, the wingman was ordered to repay the full repair cost, but after appealing and citing the lead pilot's awareness and tacit consent, his financial liability was reduced to one-tenth.
- Auditors found the air force partly responsible for the incident due to a lack of regulation on personal camera use during flights, noting that photo-taking was a common practice among pilots at the time.
- No disciplinary actions against the other pilots involved have been reported.
