Navy report: Fatigue, errors led to bomb accident

The Navy has determined technical misunderstandings and crew fatigue contributed to an Oceana-based pilot accidentally dropping a bomb outside a training range last spring, sparking a wildfire.

The incident occurred May 13 at the Pinecastle Impact Range, a 5,800-acre site near the Ocala National Forest in Florida.

The planes came from F/A-18 Super Hornet squadron VFA-213, the Fighting Blacklions, which was flying off the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt as part of Carrier Air Wing 8.

During a training mission, a pilot dropped a 500-pound laser-guided bomb that landed nearly two miles east of the intended target, and just under a mile outside of the range.

The bomb landed in an uninhabited area and no one was hurt in the blaze. Damage was estimated at 257 acres. The cost of the emergency response was $342,946.

The investigation found the timing on the bomb's fuse had been improperly set, and that the pilots were not briefed specifically on weapons delivery techniques before the flight.

The report also found the plane's crew failed to properly execute its air-to-ground checklist before dropping the bomb and, as a result, released the bomb while it was set in an improper mode.

Some of the crew were found to have had questionable amounts of rest the night before the flight.

The names of the pilots and aircrew were redacted from the report, known as the Judge Advocate General's manual. The Virginian-Pilot requested the report through the Freedom of Information Act.

The report recommended convening a board for two of the aircrew to evaluate their part in the errant bombing "and their potential to continue service as strike-fighter aircrew."

The pair ultimately was returned to flight status and participated in missions during the carrier's last deployment, said Cmdr. Dave Nunnally, spokesman for Naval Air Force Atlantic.

It also recommended that the squadron's flight briefs cover "all applicable facets of weapon deliveries," including programming and fuse settings, and ensure that the squadron's flight schedule provides "adequate crew rest."

According to Global-Security.org, the Pinecastle range is the only place on the East Coast where the Navy can train with live munitions. The Navy drops nearly 20,000 bombs a year at the site, a few hundred of which are live.

Matthew Jones, (757) 446-2949, matthew.jones@pilotonline.com