Amazing F106 Autoland

This is an amazing story my son ran across on a model a/c board today. Maybe you had heard of it, but I hadn't.
Chris




71st FIS
Tail# 58-0787
Pilotless
The Six That Wouldn't Die


58-0787 landed in a field in Montana after the pilot had ejected. The tail markings belonged to the 71st FIS out of Malmstrom AFB at the time of the landing, however the 71st FIS was later changed to the 319th FIS, Malmstrom. Retired Colonel Wolford (Major) was the Chief of Maintenance at the 71st FIS and his name was stenciled on 58-0787 as the pilot; however, Major Wolford wasn't flying the bird at the time of the incident.

Three F-106s were on a ACM (Air Combat Maneuvers) that day when 58-0787 went into a flat spin and according to procedures, Captain Gary Faust bailed out at 15K feet. One of the accompanying F-106 pilots, IP Major Jimmy Lowe, observed the ejection and also observed 58-0787 straighten out right after ejection and reportedly transmitted "Gary - you'd better get back in it!". Major Wolford got a call from the sheriff about an airplane sitting in a field with the engine running and wanted to know how to shut it off. The sheriff was advised to just let it run out of fuel. The plane was resting gear up, engine running, on a small amount of snow, with a slight downhill grade and as the snow melted under the aircraft, it would creep forward some, which had the sheriff rather excited. A depot team from Sacramento Logistics Center, McClellan AFB came in, took the wings off, put everything on a railroad flatcar (a railroad set of tracks was conveniently located about a mile from the landing site), and shipped it to McClellan AFB, CA where it was repaired. Colonel Wolford said he'd like to have flown it out of there but after the aircraft was lifted up, the under side damage was greater than thought. The Stable Table had exited the bottom through the 05 panel area and crunched its way back to the rear of the plane ruining the armament bay doors. The wings were in perfect shape. This is an accurate story from the guy who were there, and verfied by Col Wolford. Thanks to Erv Smalley for sending me this info.


http://www.f-106deltadart.com/71fis_pilotless787.htm

As I recall, there was a similar incident occured on a Canadian lake somewhere far north, only in that case, the pilot had lowered the gear prior to getting out and walking. The plane landed on the lake, and they flew in some sort of snow removal stuff (probably a hundred young airmen with shovels) and made a runway, repaired the engine, and flew it out. As I recall, it had a flame out for some reason, and the pilot walked, and I think it was night.

MTV

I remember the Comanche 400 Pilot who was overcome by carbon monoxide and the auto pilot flew the A/C onto the ground and between some trees in an icy field after it ran out of gas.

If it had landed on my farm, it would be in pieces out in the barn until they stopped looking for it.

I recall a story from the then President of Cessna when I was working on the installation of the Garrett engine into the Conquest airplane.
They were called to a gear up landing incident in Kansas involving a Cessna 340 I believe. The pilot/owner of the airplane was uninjured the airplane had minor damage. The pilot told the investigators at the scene, "This was the first time his alarm clock had failed to wake him." He apparently routinely commuted to someplace each day, after trimming and putting the airplane on autopilot, would take a snooze with his alarm clock scheduled to wake him at the appropriate time. This time he failed to wake up, the airplane exhausted its fuel and glided to a landing into the expansive Kansas plains. His point being made was that in airplane systems design, do not assume you always have high IQ individuals at the controls. I have been involved in other accident investigations of a similar nature except their outcome was not as humorous or pleasant.

That one reminds me too of one that was in Flying or AOPA's 'Never Again' column several years ago, a pilot in a C421 I think, tried flying through a suckerhole between 2 buildups in Nevada. Unfortunately, the hole contained a hail shaft which took out the windscreens and incapacited the pilot. When he came too, he was sitting in the aircraft on the ground where the 'landed'.
Chris

This reminds me of an incident I witnessed at Naval Air Station Dallas in the early 1970's. We had two Navy F8 squadrons and one USMC F8 squadron based there. I was the AMO for the Marines.

The Navy was qualifying a new reservist in the F8. The main rwy was closed, so we were using the short rwy with arrested landings. After the new guy made a series of touch and go's, he attempted to trap until he was essentially out of fuel. He kept getting PIO each time, bouncing over the wire, going around, and doing the same thing again. On his last attempt, the pilot induced oscillatiion was so severe, he ejected. The airplane, finally rid of it's tormentor, rolled into the arresting gear and trapped itself! A crusty old Navy chief climbed up on the side and shut the engine down. They put a new seat in it and flew it a few days later. The pilot was fished out of the water, and, I believe, is still working for AAL.

S/F
Willy