LOWLEX - during a CAPEX demo - not a pretty sight that one. :eek:

Richard

"LOWLEX", not lowboy, obviously I drove a truck to long, thanks for the correction. What year was that accident?

I think that was DEC '88. That was about the same time 1/75 had a fast rope disaster down there with a CH-53. My unit ended up going there to do a CH-53 fast rope demo for the SECDEF in JAN '89. I only bring it up because of all the safety issues that were on everyone's minds, the Sheridan tank event being the most prominent.

CRS but IIRC - mid-70s ( :confused: ) at Sicily DZ - I was on DZ coverage for the MFF course at Holland when one happened - there were several over the years including one that messed up the C-130 doing the delivery.

Richard

Is this it? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtT_eMVnWck

Pat

Summer of 87
 

Summer of 87. C/3/5th was running the ROTC Jump School that summer at Ft Bragg.

We had a C-130 up full of students and JMs headed for, IIRC, Normandy DZ when we got the word that a C-130 crashed out on one of the DZs. A lot of "Oh, crap. Oh, crap" for a few minutes until we got the word our A/C was OK.

A C-130 was doing a LOLEX in front of the bleachers on Sicily when it got stuck, forgot to release the dogs or something. Anyway - a 130 can't fly trying to drag a cargo chute. Went down in the trees just south of the bleachers. I do think somebody has it on film.

PSM got the clip.

Thanks, Pete. I remember now, I was no where near Bragg at the time, but I do remember the hightened sense of awareness in AC after that. Unfortuneately it takes an incident every so often to remind us. I heard a curtain number of people sitting in the stands were hurt. Didn't see that on the video, seemed most of the damage was parrallel to the crowd. Of course, I heard this "from a guy" who said he was there, and well before the internet took hold.

At some point, you start to forget the BS.

I saw one done at the Pope AFB Open House onetime and thought I heard it called a LAPEX.

L ow
A ltitude
P arachute
EX traction

OK. It was the Ch-53 incident that took place in late '88. I just remember the C-130 incident being discussed at the time which explains my mistake.

LAPES
 

I've also seen it LAPES - with System tacked on the end.

I quess it kinda depends on how "LOW" we're talking about. Some is on the deck and others are at a few hundred feet. HSLADS

None of this is to be confused with a heavy drop. A pallet of C Rations burning in looks like an A bomb going off when it hits.

wet dog,you keep teasing me with that Jameson,when are you going to break it out?:D:D:D

Jameson flows easily around these parts. I'm looking forward to a few other bottles I've gotten over the holidays. It's good to have friends.

Well...the Sheridan looked like a tank anyway.:D

The cause of the LAPES incident was the pilot attempting to force an exceptionally steep descent when he got off the glide path for the delivery. The rear of the fuselage broke off on impact and the loadmaster within was the only aircrew survivor, IIRC.

The other fatalities were idiots who were downrange of the IP shooting photos when the wadded up C-130 and M-551 rolled through their position.

The Sheridan I saw LAPESed in 1978 was dropped long and also went into the treeline. My understanding was that they always used the worst/most broken M-551 for the demo.

Sometimes, the safety rules exist for a good reason.

TR

I remember
 

I was at Ft. Bragg for ROTC when this happened. Next day we were in the same bleachers for a repeat of the CAPEX. Wreckage was still spew in front of the bleachers covered with sandbags. The tail of the plane could still be seen in the wood line to the right. When they approached for the same drop, everyone was freaked out. The ramp was open and the small shoot came out as the plane descended, hearts were pounding and everyone became a Christian, pleading, "Please God...". The cord was cut before the plane got close and a huge sigh fell over the bleachers.

Being there really put in to perspective just how close the plane and bleachers were. This could have ended horribly bad. The bleachers that day were filled with dignitaries as I understood it.


R.I.P. to the service members lost that day.