All you can see is pitch black!
This impressive video was shot years ago from the cockpit on an A-6 Intruder about to land on USS Carl Vinson in the Indian Ocean.
A night carrier trap landing is always a challenging task, even more so if a generator failure occurs during the approach.
Here’s how the author explains what is shown in the footage:
“The dimly lit ship is barely a speck in the night at about three miles (time 1:22). Warning tones are (1) radar altimeter (set to 1200′ and 375′) and (2) a rapid warning tone from the radar altimeter due to a generator failure. LSO [Landing Signal Officer] calls for “Wing lights,” which were lost due to the electrical malfunction (unknown to LSO). Expeditious emergency procedures for an electrical failure to regain lost electrical buses were completed while performing demanding tasks involved in landing a jet aboard the pitching deck of an aircraft carrier at night.”
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H/T to our reader “brightlight” for the heads-up
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