Landing signal officers stand on a platform at the back of the carrier to guide the aircraft in. Signal officers also stop jets from landing if any obstacles are on the flight deck and help determine what aircraft is landing to set the proper tension on the arresting gear. “Hands up” tells the approaching pilots the deck is not ready for a landing. (Roy Allen Hoffman / U.S. Navy)
Landing signal officers stand on a platform at the back of the carrier to guide the aircraft in. Signal officers also stop jets from landing if any obstacles are on the flight deck and help determine what aircraft is landing to set the proper tension on the arresting gear. “Hands up” tells the approaching pilots the deck is not ready for a landing. (Roy Allen Hoffman / U.S. Navy)
Landing signal officers help jets land on the flight deck by observing their speed and angle of approach. The mishap on the USS Kitty Hawk occurred when the line that helps jets decelerate snapped, injuring six sailors on deck. (Roy Allen Hoffman / U.S. Navy)
ABOARD USS KITTY HAWK — Navy leaders have pieced together the events that caused an arresting wire to snap Jan. 29, injuring six and allowing an F/A-18F Super Hornet to fall into the sea.
The final report has not yet been released, but officials said they believe they know what went wrong.
According to Rear Adm. James D. Kelly, commander of Carrier Strike Group 5, the accident was caused by a series of small errors and poor communication.
Landing an aircraft on a tiny landing strip across a bustling runway requires coordination among several groups.
Those in the tower observe the aircraft from a high vantage. On the deck, landing-signal officers stand on a platform and help guide the aircraft onto the deck, said Lt. Andy Greene, the Carrier Air Group landing signal officer.
The tower and the LSOs help determine what type of aircraft is approaching. They convey that information to an arresting-gear officer who links with the engine room operators — sailors below deck who set the room-size mechanism that controls the arresting gear, the four thick, strong wires that ultimately will stop the aircraft.
On Jan. 29, something went wrong aboard the USS Kitty Hawk. The wire was set for a different aircraft and when the Super Hornet snagged the No. 3 wire and started what otherwise looked to be a perfect landing, the wire stretched and tore, whipping back across the deck. Six sailors were injured, two seriously, and the aircraft was lost to the sea.
“We know that a wire was mis-set. The equipment worked exactly as it should have,” Kelly said.
It is one of the worst things that can happen on a carrier; scores of safety procedures have been designed to avoid it.
“When you lose a $60 million aircraft, it’s a very big deal,” Kelly said. “Anytime you lose an aircraft, it has an effect on everybody.”
Two concurrent investigations are under way. One is focusing on what might prevent such accidents in the future. The second is looking at whether anyone will be punished as a result of the Jan. 29 accident, Kelly said. The Navy has not said when the investigation results might be released.
Wire breaks are infrequent and have caused severe losses in the past. Many sailors saw the incident or heard the “mass casualty on deck” call and feared the worst, sailors said.
“I turned around and saw two red flags from the ejection seats,” said Lt. David Sagunsky, with VAW 115 who was on the Landing Signal Officer platform across the length of the deck.
Minutes later, the jet sailed by in the water.
“Watching that image,” he said, “will stick in my head forever: the back of the aircraft floating by.”
The event caused alarm, but most of the crew recognizes it as an accident, Greene said. They returned to business as soon as possible.
“We were anxious to get flying again,” he said.
Even some of those who didn’t see the accident say they feel the effects. Most nights, Petty Officer 3rd Class Don Hunsaker has a clear vantage over the deck from the tower.
Since the accident, each time a plane lands and pulls the wire taut, those in the tower collectively hold their breath, he said.
“There’s no way to simulate a plane going over and a wire breaking. There’s no way to train for it,” he said.
The incident has changed how the tower sailors work, he said: “We take more care about what we do.”
