June 2012

Washington Wing
AEROSPACE
OBSERVER
IN THIS ISSUE
• Safety in Aerospace: B-52 Crash Analysis
• 1000th Boeing 777 Delivered
• Blimps: The Past is Prolog
Written/ Published by Lt. Col. Russell Garlow,
WA Wing DAE
Edition Twenty-Eight
June 2012
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On the cover:
March 2012: Emirates Airline took delivery of the 1000th Boeing
777, a -300ER version, and the 102nd 777 for the airline. Top
leaders and dignitaries from Boeing and the Airline were in Everett
for the momentous celebration, the fastest that any twin-aisle
aircraft has ever reached the number-1000 milestone.
The Fairchild B-52 Crash: A Failure of
Leadership
Not all aerospace stories are ones of adventure or glory. But even tragedy provides vital lessons for
the rest of us. Case in point: In June of 1994, a Boeing B-52H Stratofortress crashed while performing
practice maneuvers for an airshow at Fairchild AFB, California. All aboard were killed. The ensuing
investigation concluded that the crash did not happen as a result of mechanical breakdown or natural
hazard, but because the extant command structure allowed an obviously dangerous pilot to continue
flying.
The B-52 in question was being flown by Lt Col Arthur “Bud” Holland. His copilot was Lt Col
Mark McGeehan, a B-52 instructor pilot and commander of the 325th Bomb Squadron. Two other
senior officers were aboard as observers.
This may not have been unusual, except for why Lt Col McGeehan was in the cockpit in the first
place: he refused to let any of his squadron pilots fly with Holland.
Lt Col Holland was considered “the man” when it came to flying the B-52. He had flown the type
since 1971, had over 5200 hours in B-52’s, and had a perfect 31-0 check ride performance. As a result,
Holland was considered by many as above reproach, even when early signs of his arrogance and
dangerous airmanship began to become manifest. You may have seen the video of the B-52 flying
through desert canyons in Yakima below the level of the camera? That was Lt Col Holland.
The man had developed a dangerous and dismissive disregard for
regulations, and routinely ignored the allowable flying envelope of the
B-52. Fighter-like takeoffs and turns were regularly executed by
Holland, though the bomber was never designed to fly that way.
In fact, if one watches the extended video of the crash that day,
numerous examples of dangerous maneuvers can be observed leading up
to the fatal impact. In one instance, the aircraft is almost 80 degrees nose
up, far in excess of the allowable tech order (TO) limits. This was
literally a disaster waiting to happen. At the point of impact, Holland
had turned the B-52 to a 90-degree knife-edge aspect, and the aircraft
simply fell out of it’s own lift.
So was the crash the fault of Lt Col Holland? Absolutely. Did he
have help? Yes he did. In the ensuing investigation of the chain of
command involved, numerous attempts (including one by Lt Col
McGeehan) at grounding Holland for his dangerous flying are recorded,
and yet all were met with denial, deflection, or outright ignorance from
higher command. Because Holland, with his experience and reputation,
was a “teflon” pilot, no one at the command level would take the
initiative to ground him from flying the B-52.
Lt Col Mark McGeehan
This was compounded by the fact that several pilots and crew, having flown with Holland, later
reported telling their superiors that they would never fly with him again. On the day of the crash, Lt
Col McGeehan, having forbade his pilots from flying with Holland, chose to take the right seat
himself (that door flying away from the aircraft in the cover picture was McGeehan’s ejection panel). I
consider McGeehan a hero after the fact. But make no mistake, there was absolutely no acceptable
reason that he or his fellow officers had to die that day.
What does this have to do with Aerospace Education? Knowledge of how aerospace works is
useless without an understanding of the critical nature of safety. The men we sent to the moon didn’t
get there by taking stupid risks or cutting corners. This is applicable to any aspect of aerospace, be it
an ultralight or a nuclear bomber.
Safety should permeate every aspect of our lives. And as we say so many times to our
membership, if you observe an unsafe situation in any area on the ground or in the air, act on it. Don’t
let unsafe situations continue, even if it involves a person(s) of higher grade. Cadets and seniors,
remember, at the end of the day, we are all safety officers.
Research: The full video of the crash, and of earlier “displays” by Lt Col Holland can be found at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kaN9-kBBvx4&feature=related. The USAF report on the crash
can be found at: http://www.crm-devel.org/resources/paper/darkblue/darkblue.htm
Boeing 777 Number 1000 Delivered
Emirates Airline and The Boeing Company celebrated a major
milestone in March, when the international carrier took delivery of the
1000th Boeing 777 airliner. The aircraft was also the 103rd 777 for the
airline, making Emirates the operator of the world’s largest fleet of
the massive twin jet. The 777 now holds the record for the most
successful twin-aisle aircraft in history, having delivered 1000+ units in
just 16 years.
The version delivered was a 777-300ER (Extended Range), the largest
of the 777 family. In the configuration ordered by Emirates, the aircraft
can carry up to 385 passengers in a three-class cabin layout. This
configuration includes 48 Business Class seats, and 8 First Class suites.
All of these are considered the very best in the industry.
Each suite has a seat that can fold down to a level bed, closable
privacy doors, and a 22” HD monitor. These screens are for access to the
premier IFE (Inflight Entertainment) system in the industry. The IFE
(available on every seat in every class) showcases the ICE system, which
includes up to 600 movies, USB and PC access, video games, and air-toground communications.
The airline uses this version of the 777 on the new direct Seattle-toDubai route. Thanks to the superior range and load capability of the
-300ER, the route can be flown direct in 14 hours non-stop.
The Past is Prolog: July, 1949; Popular Science runs this article on carrier-launched blimps for use in antisubmarine warfare. The theory being that they can “laze along” for extended periods, watching for the elusive subs.
In an odd twist of history, lighter-than-air vehicles are back in the forefront of the ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance,
and Reconnaissance) arena, along with satellites and UAV’s.
This time, it isn’t submarines that are hunted, but everything from trucks to tanks to individual insurgents in
contested areas. Blimps just never seem to be out of a job.