Preliminary report on Neptunus Lex’ accident

| March 19, 2012

509th Bob sends us a link to an article from Lahontan Valley News with the preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board’s relating to the accident that killed our friend retired Navy Capt. Carroll LeFon earlier this month;

According to the NTSB, LeFon’s flight had left NAS Fallon at 7:52 a.m., and after an adverse training mission, LeFon attempted to return to the field. The NTSB reports LeFon tried to make two Ground Control Approach radar approaches to NAS Fallon, but because of the weather, LeFon attempted to divert to the Reno-Tahoe International Airport. Reno-Tahoe reported minimal weather conditions, and as a result, LeFon returned to NAS Fallon and told air traffic controllers he was in a “critical fuel state.”

The report further stated LeFon descended and maneuvered first toward runway 31 and then runway 13 before the F-21 the accident.

“The airplane struck the ground in an open field in the northwest corner of the airport property and impacted a concrete building on the field,” stated the NTSB report.

Bucking the odds stacked against him, Nep Lex managed to minimize the damage to the air field and other casualties besides himself. As I said initially, I’m sure that’s the way he would have wanted to leave us; doing what he loved most and with his boots on.

Category: Bloggers, Blue Skies

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defendUSA

That gives me a pain in my heart…

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redc1c4

info on his memorial services here: http://www.neptunuslex.com/2012/03/13/services/

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AW1 Tim

Sometimes, things get out of hand.

Reading through the entire preliminary report the other day, it looks like the WX deteriorated too fast, as it has done in the past. Bad WX, depleted fuel state, and no ability to tank made a difficult situation much worse.

Myself and the other airdales are holding out for the full report, though that’s probably gonna be at least a year. there’s a number of different teams involved, being both civilian-owned and operated, though contracted for the DoD and on a military base, etc.

His funeral is on the 27th out in Sandy Eggo. I had hoped to attend, but the finances just aren’t there. So I and many others will be raising a pint (or five) of Guinness (For Strength!) in his honor that day, and thinking about the good man and fine officer this nation lost that sad sad day.

V/R

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streetsweeper

Rest in peace, CPT Lefon….What a remarkable man…

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Spade

Lex had complained about GCA there in older posts.

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509th Bob

If you Google map NAS Fallon, Runway 31 is the same runway as Runway 13, on a reciprocal heading. The GCAs failed, so Lex was apparently trying a different approach from the opposite heading. It looks like he ran out of fuel, which caused him to impact off the runway. I wish he’d have just punched out, to live to blog another day. To HELL with ATAC, I don’t CARE what the KFIR cost! F them.

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AW1 Tim

Bob,

The problem, I believe, with his punching out was that it had a lot to do with the gusting winds pushing it out of the envelope for safe ejection. Plus, the Kfir may have also lost hydraulics and electrical power when the engine flamed out. I don’t believe it has a deployable RAT, not that it would have been useful at that altitude, regardless.

There’s a lot we still won’t know until the final report. It frustrates me to no end to have to wait for it, but it’s about all we can do at this point.

I feel your frustration.

V/R

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509th Bob

AW1 Tim, you may be absolutely right. But punching out still offered a better chance at survival, as opposed to trying to ride a dead bird into a landing. I was Army Airborne Infantry, I understand about jumping from below minimum safe altitude, but modern ejection seats are supposed to correct for that. Us Airborne grunts had no such alternatives, but I think we’d all have taken the chance under horrible alternatives. I’ll let Jonn comment on *that* choice, since he was also Airborne Infantry.

But I completely agree with you, the final report will probably not come out for another year. As I said at the time, I feared this day would come, but it did. All we can do is to wish Lex our best wishes that he flies with the Angels now.

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