Close call: E-3 AWACS almost collides with KC-135 tanker mid-air

Close call: E-3 AWACS almost collides with KC-135 tanker mid-air October 19, 2012

Posted by David Cenciotti in : Aviation Safety, Military Aviation , trackback

It must have been one of the most frightening view in the career of the KC-135′s flying boom operator.

A NATO E-3 Sentry almost hit the tail of the tanker and its flying boom during air-to-air refueling operations. Not only the close proximity of the two large planes was dangerous, but also the evasive maneuver the pilot performs to avoid collision: the AWACS (airborne early warning and control plane) pulls several negative G-forces to gain quick separation from the refueler.

According to the user who uploaded it to Youtube, the aircraft was damaged and some crew members hurt as a consequence of the maneuver.

Michigan ANG KC-135s at RAF Mildenhall to support local tanker force (currently deployed all over the world) (theaviationist.com)
UK’s first RC-135W “Airseeker” intelligence gathering aircraft in service by the end of 2013 (theaviationist.com)

Tags:Aerial refueling, Airborne early warning and control, Boeing E-3 Sentry, Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker, NATO

http://gravatar.com/sbxjld Jean

Impressive video (removed by user, but still available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbQ9LXZwJ78)
http://www.facebook.com/gr.bd.9 Gr Bd

This shows just how dangerous this kind of job can be. These guys have got major balls! Remember it was the Palomares Incident in 1966 when a B-52 loaded with four nukes and a KC-135 had a midair that resulted in a Broken Arrow alert and the end of Chrome Dome missions.
Vance Thomas

proximity (prɒkˈsɪmɪtɪ)

— n
1. nearness in space or time
2. nearness or closeness in a series

Close proximity is a double-entendre. The close closeness?
Pet peeve.

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