This man was my first CO while on board the USS Kansas City AOR-3. During my time serving mess duty I was his personal server. Absolutely a great man. He was always genuine and very kind to us enlisted men. One story that I remember well…..I was painting a hatch in the main cargo deck and the deck area surrounding it. I was knelt down while painting when I hear a voice behind me, “looking good sailor, nice job”. I turn around, looking over my shoulder and see him standing there in wet paint. I just looked at him, pointing down and replied “ummmm….sir”. He looks down and sees what he had done….says to me, “give me the paint brush”. I handed it to him and he slowly backed up while painting over his boot prints. Class act.
@@PBW891 To “not admit” implies his intent was to deny it. He was talking about so that others would learn from it. There was no denial. He likely talked about it many times over the years. As a retired Naval Aviator I have listened to a few talks about mishaps for the purpose of learning and hopefully preventing future accidents.
@@MaddogCapt11 I have developed many friends that are still active duty Aviators and some that have retired. I have had the pleasure of meeting some of the team members over the years. However, as I was watching this my mind went to what happened a few years ago with the Thunderbirds. On 14 September 2003, then Captain Chris R. Stricklin after take off miscalculated his altitude before entering a Split-S and ejected from his F-16 moments before it crashed. He was removed from the team afterward. He made no excuses, was thankful for the chance to fly with the team, and moved on with his career finally retiring as a Col. These men, BOTH teams are so good they make this look easy. It's NOT! Just one mental mistake, JUST one is enough! You can also multiply fatigue into his as well. I am not going to research this but I am of the understanding that Capt Jeff Kuss was both physically and mentally fatigued in 2016 when he lost his life. Just one mental lapse is enough. A true hero admits their mistakes though so others can learn from them. THIS is what I see here!
@@cloudstreets1396 1970 was 52 years ago. I have no direct information about what I am about to say, but I suspect I am right. I suspect there were three groups of people in that decision. I am assuming the flag officer in Corpus (or wherever they were in 1970) was one. The next is the "boss" and the last one is the other team members. I have a suspicion everybody was OK with him staying OR he would have been dropped and sent back to the fleet! I don't agree with the word devalue with regard to this situation. I would rather use the words "cast a pall" over the season. Also hopefully new procedures were put in place to prevent it from happening again!
Note that the pilot featured in this video had a storied naval career, including two combat tours in Vietnam prior to joining the Blue Angels as well as combat tours after the Blues. Additionally, he served in roles as the Commanding Office for TOPGUN, the USS Kansas City, and the USS Ranger amongst others and retired in 1997. Today, Christensen is open to sharing the experience of this landing so that it can be used as a learning by current and future aviators.
@@notthatdonald1385 he didn’t forget! He had so many other things going on and he got himself out of sequence by doing his flaps and watching his teammates who were having trouble and since he had flaps down, he assumed gear was too since they did those at the same time usually. It was a tragic oversight but not forgotten
@@notthatdonald1385 In my experience, the people who are the most critical are usually the ones who have accomplished nothing, so there satisfaction comes from being critical of others. Very much a shame.
@@1982MCI I'm guessing that the trouble the other 2 were having also meant that everyone on the ground were also watching them. Otherwise a radio "go around" message might have worked.
The “Harley” that he is referring to is Capt. Harley H. Hall, USN, who was subsequently lost in Vietnam hours before the Paris Peace Accords went into effect in 1973.
I knew Harley's parents in the early-mid-80's in his hometown of Vancouver, WA, and his sister Gwen and her family. They were relentless in pressing our gov't for information on Harley and accounting of all those left behind in SEA. Our MIA/POW chapter there in Vancouver all breathed a sigh of relief when his folks passed away because they finally had their answers and were with their son.
Incredible candour. The integrity of this man should not only serve to help the aviators of today and tomorrow avoid making the same mistakes, but also show us all as a society that there is nothing wrong with being fallible.
I was there, near the touchdown area on the north side of the runway. I was 14 y/o with my dad, we live in Cedar Rapids. We both saw him coming in with the wheels up and expected he would put his gear down,at the last minute. So we were shocked to see him land wheels up. Thank God nobody was hurt.
I was there, too. I thought I was younger then, but it must have been after I got out of the army. I was drafted in 67. But, I remember I was on the southwest side of the runway. I couldn't see the plane hit the ground, but did see him eject. Thankfully, no one was hurt.
I love his accountability and candidness. His story, and willingness to share it openly, likely helped other aviators learn from his situation. What a great example!
In 1980 when I was in VMFA -232 Kevin O'Mara was our C.O. he reserved the base theater so we could see Threshold. At the end he took questions and someone asked what happened to the guy who landed wheels up. He answered he is a C.O. of a F14 squadron now, a great pilot. Not the answer we were expecting, but in the service if you worked hard and tried to stay out of trouble somebody usually would save your butt if you screwed up. It saved mine one time! Lt.Col O'Mara was a great C.O.
Thanks for sharing your story! I was there that day on top of a camper at 14 years old and seen the entire incident. Used to have a photograph of the plane sliding along in flames. Must say is the only real ejection I have ever seen let alone from on the ground! Everyone first thought it was just part of the show. Have been flying now for over 20 years and we can all learn from these stories. Just glad you were ok! Best! Marion Iowa.
This is the exact day that my love affair with the Blue Angels began. I was 5 years old, laying in the grass watching the sky in my grandparents back yard. They lived not far from the Cedar Rapids airport. It was a sight to behold and one that I never forgot. It is one of the most precious childhood memories I have. Thank you so much for that day, and everything you do in this life. You pilots are my heroes! I do hope you will come back to the Cedar Rapids Airport for a show someday soon. I now have grandchildren I would feel so blessed to give this amazing memory I have. MUCH LOVE!!!!!!
In a few weeks time, the skies of San Francisco will have the Blue Angels return, this time with the first female F-18 pilot on the team Lt Amanda Lee #3 Left wing.
Thank you for your service, Sir! I was in the USAF for 24 years working on the ramp with the RE-4C! I saw a few gear-up landings. You are not alone in that club. You kept your head on straight and made the best of it. Well done, Commander.
I retired USAF after 21 years, working F-4s. There was a red light in the cockpit that would flash indicating gear up if the airspeed fell below 250 knots. The F-4s I worked on were newer models than the ones in this video. Did they not have that warning light?
@@alanhess9306 They probably did. Our T-34s primary trainers had 'em! I'm wondering too, the photos and normal protocol has a guy in back of the Navy F-4. He doesn't mention anyone else in the A/C though.
@@tonyf9076 That's believable, but I'm sure I see a helmet in the back seat of this one. Even if a RIO wasn't required, I'd guess they'd fly guests as they do in #7 today.
I'm a pilot and I can't count the number of mistakes I've made. We're all human. I have so much respect for this pilot for admitting his mistake - which I'm sure resulted in many other pilots to learn from this. Thanks for sharing your story.
I second the respect. I can only imagine the feelings you must have had. The relief of not hitting the crowd or your teammates, but the horrible feeling of guilt and embarrassment of making such an error as one if the best aviators in the world; and fear of not only being discharged from the team, but the Navy as well. Thank you for your service, and dedication to the military and the United Stares.
I was stationed at Offutt AFB from 1969 through 1973 for my first USAF tour. My boss in DOCODW, Major Doug Jewett, asked if I'd like to fly up to the Cedar Rapids air show as part of a KC-97 tanker crew to put on a USAF static display. Since there was nothing to do in Omaha that weekend, I accepted and was manning the aircraft giving tours when Jim and I witnessed this. It was a huge surprise and, at first, we thought it joke until we saw the aircraft catch fire! Believe me, it was every but as dramatic as the pilot described.
Great pilots. Every person, no matter how disciplined, can make mistakes. We're human. Tough man to say all of that. I served on the USS Lexington and USS Forrestal. Many brave pilots and human as can be.
Takes a LOT of humility to be open about this to teach other beginner thru veteran military or civilian pilots that a gear up landing can happen to anyone, given a runaway chain of events. I respect this man. In my aviation career I learned the safest mindset to adopt was one where I tried to always be aware that something like this COULD happen to me if I didn't recognize the links in the chain were starting to join up.
This eloquent and humble first-person recollection had me in his cockpit as the disaster sequenced. All I could imagine myself thinking as I lay on that runway would’ve been “exactly HOW many people showed up to see me get myself fired today?”
The closest I came to a gear up landing was when I was in Korea and my #4 was low on fuel and the weather was bad that night. Because the weather was bad, I did a shotgun approach which means I landed first which I hated as a flight lead. I was trying to give my wingman as much space as possible so no one would have to go around, so I delayed putting my gear down. Luckily the tower always says "Check wheels down" during the landing clearance. I always looked at the gear handle when they said that, and sure enough the handle was up. I quickly put it down and said "gear down, cleared to land" while I kept my eyes on the handle until the red light went out and I got my 3 green lights. That habit pattern saved me that night. Ps. That yours just an honest mistake and nothing willful. I'm glad only metal was hurt....former Air Force F16 pilot
As a career pilot with nearly 30 years experience, the aviation industry has taught me that even the best are susceptible to human factors mistakes. After those mistakes get made, the greatest of the great embrace the reality of the experience as a learning opportunity and must reach within themselves, and move on a better person. There is no doubt Mr. Christensen is a humble and exceptional pilot and individual. Thanks for sharing this experience.
Although I never had the pleasure of seeing the Blues fly the F4s, Capt. Harley Hall was from my hometown, Vancouver, Washington. We were even the same age. After he was shot down on the last day of hostilities in Vietnam, his wingman stayed with him and reported that he escaped from the beach where he landed, and ran into the jungle, very much alive. He was supposedly transported by the VC into the USSR prison where he disappeared. After the war, the North Vietnamese disavowed any knowledge of him, and so did the Russians. To this day he is deemed MIA and POW. Especially tragic considering he is officially the last US casualty of the conflict. From 1995 to 2005 I had the honor of being the Operations manager of the Pearson Air Museum on Pearson Field in Vancouver. We honored Harley at every opportunity, and supported his sister in her efforts to find his remains and to have them repatriated, without success. We played Threshold the movie, in our theater every day.
Saw the Blue Angels (F4's) perform off of Ft. Walton Beach around mid 1969, my mom came home and said get ready to go, we're fixing to go watch something I know you'll like. We arrived (thousands of other people were already there), and waited and finally, here they came from the west (I assume they flew from their home base in Pensacola, FL) at the time. Show lasted like nearly two hours. Never forgotten it!
This was one of my earliest memories ever. I was 3 yrs old and remember a day that was hot as ever sitting on my dad's itchy old army blanket with my brothers and sister. I do remember some type of chaos and my dad talking about it for a while after and felt bad for the pilot but happy he survived. My dad was a pilot in the army and knew what it meant to be in the cockpit. 21 yrs later I still remembered it when I was flying in the USAF. Must have been some type of impression to make me want to go into flying. LOL.
One of the amazing parts of that story is how he continued to "fly" the airplane AFTER he made a wheels up landing. Yep, he screwed up, but still demonstrated good airmanship and responsibility.
As they say, any landing that you survive is a good landing. Thankful that this is all that happened and no one was seriously hurt or killed. Lessons learned and stories to tell. Bravo!
I wonder if my Dad was working that day in the Control Tower at Cedar Rapids. He was an Air Traffic Controller there in the 70s. He has passed, but would have enjoyed listening to the story.
@@garymartin9777 So Long ago hard to put the exact year , I hear you . I saw Them twice In Phantoms and one Time was over the Lake , I could not tell you the years either . What a Team !
@@markcantemail8018 I've seen the Blue Angels but not in the F-4. I worked Avionics on F-4s and saw the Thunderbirds in F-4s several times. Very impressive show. I was always impressed by the power of the Phantom. I saw the Thunderbirds after they transitioned to T-38s. Very cool but not nearly as impressive. Great pilots flying great machines.
In 1972 I was flying as a student in a T-37 at Webb AFB. Was landing at a practice field (Peckerwood). I had the landing nailed. All at once the IP at about 500 ft lined up with the runway the IP said don’t you hear what is going on in your headset. The mobile controller was telling me to go around your wheels are not down. Also A horn was going off in my headset. I did not have three green and all visual and audible indications were telling me my wheels were up. I was so locked into the landing I did not see or hear any of this. The IP said “I got the airplane” and we went around. This was a good lesson. From that time forward I would say out loud to myself…handle, horn, lights lights, pressure up before landing,
That's what instructors are for! Recovering from a mistake like that is also one of the best ways to ensure that you never make it again and that you end up as a much safer, more attentive pilot because you came so close to disaster!
I remember the day like it was yesterday. I was a senior at the University of Iowa and had been accepted to Marine Aviation Officer Candidate School. I was standing next to the picket fence on the north side of the runway near the runway 27 threshold approach area. As the F4 approached the runway I noticed that the land gear was not down and then shortly thereafter the aircraft made solid contact with the runway with enough force to jar the starboard afterburner to about a 35 degree canted position with flamed emitting from the stress ruptured area due to impact. As the aircraft skidded down the runway, consuming about three quarters of the runway I saw the canopy spinning into the air and then the ejection sequence. I recall seeing the deployed parachute make two oscillations before ground contact. The aircraft rested up against a woven wire fence at the end of the runway. As I recall the engines were still running and a maintenance crew was dispatched to shut down the engines. The damaged aircraft was temporally stored in the back portion of Wathan Flying Service’s hanger. All in all it was a good landing because it was one that could be walked away from. It takes a real professional to share such an experience. No matter how good we are at our professions we all have those moments that bit us at times. I can image the work load in the cockpit trying to manage a malfunction and in a split second one can easily miss one essential item. Thanks for have the courage to share your experience.
Thank you so much for Is your service to our country And everyone makes mistakes It's truly how you pick yourself up once again thank you so much for your service
I was there that day..... very close to the runway. Took photos with my 35mm Nikon. Weather was overcast that day. Show was cut short. I remember yelling he's landing with out the landing gear. My Brother-in law said no he will go around and I commented he's flaring and then he hit surface.. flames ignited , drag shoot burned off , after clearing the runway he ejected. Thanks to the pilot no one was hurt ! Amazing Day; lessons learned. never knew what happened to the Pilot... Great to know he continued flying and wasn't grounded for the error.
We learn from the beginning of our flight lessons , that one thing is called Error , and the other is called Violation. A mistake can happen to any pilot, and his record would tell if he deserves another chance or not. The second is inadmissible, and your out. Only highly well and educated men can recognize his mistakes, and admitted it publicly. My hole respect to You Sir !
I was 11 years and there that day. Spent 8 years in the USMC where I saw the Angels almost every year and have seen them 5 times since. Never forget that C.R. show though.
Everyone screws up at one point or another in their flying career to varying degrees. It’s not the screw up itself that’s necessarily important, it’s how it’s handled and reported and ultimately the ability of the system or organisation (or individual) to learn from the event and modify procedures or practices. As a previous poster said - much respect to this Airman. He put his hand up, and said ‘ I screwed up’. I only looked at this video because of the Cedar Rapids connection. I’d not previously heard of this incident, however I visited the airfield in Spring ’93 whilst hour building for a commercial license (now have 14,500 hours as a commercial pilot in the UK). Thanks for sharing.
Saw these F-4s at SBY Summer '71. Incredibly close and low directly in front of the small town crowd. Couldn't happen today. I remember the opposing solos pass was amazingly close..
Listening to him speak gave me goosebumps. He and his fellow blues involved that day had angels on their shoulders. Just to survive an ejection from an F-4 sliding on the runway is no guarantee you will survive. Steering clear of his teammates while sliding, on fire was amazing. I'm guessing the entire thing was over in less than a minute.
At KMCAS we had an F-4 fold a wing on take off. The RIO got out but the pilots seat fucked up. Capt. Color died . The airplane was on the beach pointed where it came from not looking too bad actually. I had the duty that day and we watched the plane all night.
I had good rudder control I look up and "There's Harley and Kelly, Oh my God, I can't get out." So he stayed with it and kicked the rudder to miss his teammate. Went off the runway and was able to punch. You stayed with the jet and saved lives. You say "Thank God for Harley" I say thank goodness for you YOU, Sir.
No one gets to be good without making mistakes. Getting back in the seat makes this guy someone to be respected and listened to. I'm an F4 crew chief & have witnessed a gear up landing first hand.
I was at that airshow. We were closer to the landing end of the runway (the east end if I recall correctly) but I remember seeing the flames and when he ejected.
Great video. And here's the thing about great pilots is that he's sliding down the runway on fire and he's still got the situational awareness and balls of steel to keep "flying" the plane to miss the crowd and then to get past the other aircraft. One mistake sucked. Compounding that into a series of mistakes could have been so much worse. That's the way to keep working the problem. BZ from an old A-7 maintenance guy and Midway sailor
I'm a USAF vet, but grew up watching the Blues at Mugu Space Fairs in the '60's and have always been a fan. Blue Angels forever! Phabulous Phantoms forever!
I witnessed this at the age of 7 ... I remember the aircraft rolling down the runway, the sirens of the firetrucks and all of us looking up to see a guy in a parachute ...
I served in Strike Ops under Capt Christensen on the USS Ranger during Desert Storm. I will never forget him. He was a wonderful CO who, in my opinion as a LT, was an excellent officer.
I'm glad you were not hurt. I'm sorry you had this happen. I think its a testiment to your character and talent that you kept with the team. I can hear you... Boss I'm sorry I heard all the chatter and started to react and bam I put her on the ground. I messed up... but I'm glad to be here. 👍
I was there that day with binoculars with my dad. I told him that the last plane did not have his wheels down but he said that couldn't be right. The thing that actually frightened me the most was the ejection. I remember thinking how could anybody survive that acceleration of the canopy. I recall they quickly trucked the plane out of there. It was a dramatic ending to a great show.
Some times we learn more as a team from one our members that has a small error the can grow into a significant event. Great airmanship protecting the crowd and teammates. I wish I could have seen a show with the F-4! Good on your boss to keep you on the team! Our military seems to have lost the command leadership’s element of standing behind its people Human error is prevalent in every flight! I know you and your team reviewed every flight with scrutiny that’s how we get better! Glad you are ok and and able to tell this story it will help other aviators for sure!!!
Not sure of the Phantom but in a Skyhawk, flaps down and throttle below 70 percent and you get a headset tone and a "WHEELS" light on the glare shield.
An 11k hour purely civilian ATP myself, I have nothing but respect for this man...clearly many others do as well based directly on the fact the decision was made to keep him flying.
Awesome they kept him flying on the team Given that is was the Flying Brick, the tough F4, surprised they didn't hose it down and have it flying the next day ;)
The most impressive part of that story is (then) LT Christensen being aware enough to attempt to do everything he could to protect the public and his colleagues, even if that meant he had to stay in that aircraft until the bitter end. He could have punched out at any time but he chose to stay with it until the airplane was in a good place. THAT is the real measure of the man, being more concerned for the safety of those around him than for his own until only he was at risk. 👍👍 Glad he was able to continue his career. These days, if an investigation shows that it was pilot error, even with the tower not signaling him to check his gear or telling him to abort his landing and go around, he still would have faced serious consequences because he allowed himself to get distracted at a critical moment, placing not only his teammates and the ground crew but also the observing public in danger, and would probably be grounded for good and few would likely disagree with that outcome. One mistake (even an expensive and potentially catastrophic one like that, had it not been for his actions after the fact) shouldn't end the career of a highly trained, highly skilled pilot. I think we are too unforgiving of such things today. The fact that this man was able to not only recover personally from his mistake, but to be able to perform well enough thereafter and prove valuable enough and capable enough to finish out his career as a Rear Admiral proves that keeping on was the right thing to do.
Funny that we all tend to hold ourselves to high regard, expectations and standards and neglect the fact that even the best of the best can make some of the simplest mistakes guess I needed this video tonight ha
Wow is all i can say. I hope you get this comment in Heaven Ernie, thank you for your service. What a life time of achievements and tales of a bit of everything. A common man myself who could never fly for bad eyesight, could only imagine being in a life as you had. Thank you Blue Angels and US Navy and all our services.
It was probably 1973 or 1974, and the Blue Angels were practicing for an Air Show in a few days during Cheyenne Frontier Days. I might be mistaken, but I seem to recall this was a Saturday Morning. We lived very close to the Cheyenne Airport, and also Frontier Park where the Rodeo and Carnival were conducted. That morning, very early, before the first Parade of the 10-day event, two Angeles were practicing and clipped wings above Frontier Park. I believe both planes crashed. One of the pilots ejected on the way down, but was launched into one of the barns where a young man whom I went to school with was working. The pilot struck him. The pilot died. The young man was crippled and of course, traumatized by all of this. That was the last year the Blue Angels flew over Cheyenne during Frontier Days. Now, it is the Thunderbirds. These are my memories from 45 years ago. I would love to read corrections if there are any. Thank you. vs
I googled it and am surprised you didn't, so you could get the facts. Your memory is off on many things, but I am 70 and my memory isn't much better. Google it. But, here's a hint: it wasn't a Blue Angels crash.
@@MrTruckerf Right... I did fact check myself afterwards, and I did post a correction to my post. Trouble is, it didn't show up.... perhaps it showed up elsewhere. But you are correct, and I meant no disrespect to anyone... just posting from what I recall. I was very young. And while I doubt your memory is actually as good as mine is, I concede that in this case, your ability to "Google it" is much vaunted, and better than my memory in this case. I did ask for corrections, not snide comments. Nevertheless, I do expect that you and I would get along famously in person, especially if I served you an expertly grilled steak, fine wine, and perhaps a spot of bourbon. Thank you. vs
@@MrTruckerf, perhaps at some point here, the thought crossed your mind that there are those who are close to traumatic events ...and they actually _don't want to_ relive it. I see Van Savant to have gone over and above to share what his own memory has preserved of the event, albeit in non-perfect form. As all of our memories are, being susceptible to error even 45 _hours_ afterward. Let alone 45 years. You had the option to thank him for sharing, and to present any corrections, which he clearly indicated he would greatly appreciate. Well no one has done that here yet. At least, not successfully. So I'm going to do it now... Mon, July 25, 1977 at 6:40am Cheyenne Frontier Days Frontier Park, Cheyenne, Wyoming Located across I-25 from F. E. Warren AFB Thunderbird #7 Northrop T-38 Talon Pilot /Narrator: Capt Charles M. Carter, age 33, from Luling, Tx (also reported as San Antonio, close by) Backseater /Crew Chief: SSgt Ted Foster, age 27, of Charlotte, NC There was light rain that morning. Charlie aborted his landing attempt. He experienced a severe problem, and the backseater ejected, injuring his nose upon landing on the racetrack surrounding the rodeo arena. Carter also ejected, but too late. Witnesses stated that they think he stayed with the aircraft long enough to avoid campers on the grounds. The aircraft careened into the rodeo bullpen. Two bulls were killed. Van's schoolmate was Ronnie Clifton, age 16, who played drums in the Cheyenne Central Marching Band. He was cleaning up stalls where rodeo bulls were kept when he was hit by flying debris, which broke his arm. None of the reports I read said anything about him being permanently crippled. But those articles seem to have been written too soon to be able to make any assessment of permanent damage. This newspaper thumbnail has a photo of the wreckage, and also a PR photo of Carter sitting in his #7 jet. His wife, Tracey, had just given birth to their first child, Christopher Miles, the month before. June '77. So he should be 44 years old today. Tracey filed a lawsuit against the City of Cheyenne, on the grounds that the airport gave bad info to her husband regarding runway conditions. It was ruled in 1982 that the US Govt could not be held liable. Commander of the Thunderbirds was Dan Cherry. His team was enroute to Cheyenne. They ended up diverting into Offut AFB, Nebraska. Cherry was a Vietnam combat veteran having flown F-105s and F-4s with nearly 300 combat missions. Credited with shooting down a MiG-21. He retired in 1988 as a BGen. So it is evident that his career was not marred by this horrible crash.
Now Dan Cherry's story is absolutely fascinating... The day of his MiG kill was April 16, 1972. His backseater was Jeff Feinstein. A WSO who went on to become the last US Ace ever. On the day of that first shootdown, they watched the pilot of that MiG-21 eject. His parachute deployed. With plenty of altitude, unlike Carter. But they never knew whether he survived the landing, or if he did, how badly he might have gotten injured. ...that is, until 36 years later. Cherry ended up meeting this North Vietnamese fighter pilot. And the two became the best of friends. Here's that story: th-cam.com/video/5nelyf6jQk0/w-d-xo.html
If I am not mistaken much of the footage was done by Filmsmiths for the documentary, "Threshold." Contemporary audience might recognize Frank Herbert, the author of "Dune" as having written the narration of the Blue Angels documentary film. Special call-out to David Gardner and the late Paul Marlow whose film, correct me if I am wrong, appears in the video.
Great story I was wondering you would think that there would be some type of alarm system sensor warning the pilot or even the control tower personnel warning the pilot that your landing gear is still up.
I was a 9-year old boy in the audience along that runway. My mom had to pull me away from the fence as the flaming jet slid past us. I’ll never forget it.
Sometimes things just happen. It's called fate. Good or bad. Made a great mistake into good by doing what he did after the fact and saved lives. Can't get away with things with the Phantom. They will bite you hard even when not running & standing still. Great story on a Real event. Thank you sir for your service and for the video.
I just finished reading this man’s accomplishments. Holy cow. My mistakes at work have never been that expensive. But apparently just as memorable. The guys at work would never let them just die a silent death.Of course I kept adding to the legend. The story is that your call sign is given you by your name or something that happens. Such as last name Campbell would probably become “Soup” When I worked for the railroad. I earned “Lightning” Because I could never hit the same place twice with the mail. Did he get a new call sign ? “Gear Up”. I miss the military days.
And a good lesson for young Navy pilots: even if you do such a basic mistake, still you can end up your career as Real Admiral! Just imagine where you could end up if you lower the gear...
This man was my first CO while on board the USS Kansas City AOR-3. During my time serving mess duty I was his personal server. Absolutely a great man. He was always genuine and very kind to us enlisted men.
One story that I remember well…..I was painting a hatch in the main cargo deck and the deck area surrounding it. I was knelt down while painting when I hear a voice behind me, “looking good sailor, nice job”.
I turn around, looking over my shoulder and see him standing there in wet paint. I just looked at him, pointing down and replied “ummmm….sir”. He looks down and sees what he had done….says to me, “give me the paint brush”. I handed it to him and he slowly backed up while painting over his boot prints. Class act.
Killer
His gear was down in that instance tho. Sounds as if he was truly a great CO.
@@krautyvonlederhosen and sometimes you can still make a mess with the gear down.
It takes a hell of a man to admit his mistakes like that. Not an easy chore for somebody who is likely a Type A perfectionist. Much respect.
@@PBW891 To “not admit” implies his intent was to deny it. He was talking about so that others would learn from it. There was no denial. He likely talked about it many times over the years. As a retired Naval Aviator I have listened to a few talks about mishaps for the purpose of learning and hopefully preventing future accidents.
@@MaddogCapt11 I totally understand the original comment. I have nothing but respect for this seasoned combat veteran.
@@MaddogCapt11 I have developed many friends that are still active duty Aviators and some that have retired. I have had the pleasure of meeting some of the team members over the years. However, as I was watching this my mind went to what happened a few years ago with the Thunderbirds. On 14 September 2003, then Captain Chris R. Stricklin after take off miscalculated his altitude before entering a Split-S and ejected from his F-16 moments before it crashed. He was removed from the team afterward. He made no excuses, was thankful for the chance to fly with the team, and moved on with his career finally retiring as a Col. These men, BOTH teams are so good they make this look easy. It's NOT! Just one mental mistake, JUST one is enough! You can also multiply fatigue into his as well. I am not going to research this but I am of the understanding that Capt Jeff Kuss was both physically and mentally fatigued in 2016 when he lost his life. Just one mental lapse is enough. A true hero admits their mistakes though so others can learn from them. THIS is what I see here!
@@cloudstreets1396 1970 was 52 years ago. I have no direct information about what I am about to say, but I suspect I am right. I suspect there were three groups of people in that decision. I am assuming the flag officer in Corpus (or wherever they were in 1970) was one. The next is the "boss" and the last one is the other team members. I have a suspicion everybody was OK with him staying OR he would have been dropped and sent back to the fleet! I don't agree with the word devalue with regard to this situation. I would rather use the words "cast a pall" over the season. Also hopefully new procedures were put in place to prevent it from happening again!
If you can't admit to your mistakes, you have no business inside a cockpit. Period.
Note that the pilot featured in this video had a storied naval career, including two combat tours in Vietnam prior to joining the Blue Angels as well as combat tours after the Blues. Additionally, he served in roles as the Commanding Office for TOPGUN, the USS Kansas City, and the USS Ranger amongst others and retired in 1997. Today, Christensen is open to sharing the experience of this landing so that it can be used as a learning by current and future aviators.
@@notthatdonald1385 he didn’t forget! He had so many other things going on and he got himself out of sequence by doing his flaps and watching his teammates who were having trouble and since he had flaps down, he assumed gear was too since they did those at the same time usually.
It was a tragic oversight but not forgotten
@@notthatdonald1385 In my experience, the people who are the most critical are usually the ones who have accomplished nothing, so there satisfaction comes from being critical of others. Very much a shame.
Be open and honest about mistakes with the intention you and others will improve. The ONLY way to operate.
Ernie was my Ops Officer when I was on loan to VF121 (from the RN).
As polished as they come, a great aviator and an awesome human being.
@@1982MCI I'm guessing that the trouble the other 2 were having also meant that everyone on the ground were also watching them. Otherwise a radio "go around" message might have worked.
Greatness comes from accepting mistakes
The “Harley” that he is referring to is Capt. Harley H. Hall, USN, who was subsequently lost in Vietnam hours before the Paris Peace Accords went into effect in 1973.
May Cpt. Hall Rest In Peace.
Way to ruin my night man :-/
He is officially the last American POW/MIA recorded in Vietnam.
I knew Harley's parents in the early-mid-80's in his hometown of Vancouver, WA, and his sister Gwen and her family. They were relentless in pressing our gov't for information on Harley and accounting of all those left behind in SEA. Our MIA/POW chapter there in Vancouver all breathed a sigh of relief when his folks passed away because they finally had their answers and were with their son.
RIP.🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
Incredible candour. The integrity of this man should not only serve to help the aviators of today and tomorrow avoid making the same mistakes, but also show us all as a society that there is nothing wrong with being fallible.
I was there, near the touchdown area on the north side of the runway. I was 14 y/o with my dad, we live in Cedar Rapids. We both saw him coming in with the wheels up and expected he would put his gear down,at the last minute. So we were shocked to see him land wheels up. Thank God nobody was hurt.
I was there, too. I thought I was younger then, but it must have been after I got out of the army. I was drafted in 67. But, I remember I was on the southwest side of the runway. I couldn't see the plane hit the ground, but did see him eject. Thankfully, no one was hurt.
I was there in the crowd on the north side too. I remember the sparks and flames as it screamed past us on its belly and off the end of the runway.
I love his accountability and candidness. His story, and willingness to share it openly, likely helped other aviators learn from his situation. What a great example!
Admirable that he is totally open and honest about this incident. Hard on a guy's ego but at least no one was hurt.
I was thinking the samething.
In 1980 when I was in VMFA -232 Kevin O'Mara was our C.O. he reserved the base theater so we could see Threshold. At the end he took questions and someone asked what happened to the guy who landed wheels up. He answered he is a C.O. of a F14 squadron now, a great pilot. Not the answer we were expecting, but in the service if you worked hard and tried to stay out of trouble somebody usually would save your butt if you screwed up. It saved mine one time! Lt.Col O'Mara was a great C.O.
That's awesome.
bbeaumont: `73 TO `75 I was in VMFA 235 F-4`S KMCAS (HONOLULU) VMFA 212 and VMFA 219 were neighbors. Not positive that those numbers are right.
These days you would have to accuse your CO of every 'ISM' and form of social misconduct to see this type of appropriate outcome be reached.
Great ending to a bad day at the office. Glad to hear that he had people sticking up for him and he kept flying.
Back then, the CoC did that.
No accountability if you have pull.
@@rickden8362 troll
Capt. Harley H. Hall His wingman died just hours before the Paris Peace accord in 1973.
@@bad74maverick1 Truth
Thanks for sharing your story! I was there that day on top of a camper at 14 years old and seen the entire incident. Used to have a photograph of the plane sliding along in flames. Must say is the only real ejection I have ever seen let alone from on the ground! Everyone first thought it was just part of the show. Have been flying now for over 20 years and we can all learn from these stories. Just glad you were ok! Best! Marion Iowa.
This is the exact day that my love affair with the Blue Angels began. I was 5 years old, laying in the grass watching the sky in my grandparents back yard. They lived not far from the Cedar Rapids airport. It was a sight to behold and one that I never forgot. It is one of the most precious childhood memories I have. Thank you so much for that day, and everything you do in this life. You pilots are my heroes! I do hope you will come back to the Cedar Rapids Airport for a show someday soon. I now have grandchildren I would feel so blessed to give this amazing memory I have. MUCH LOVE!!!!!!
In a few weeks time, the skies of San Francisco will have the Blue Angels return, this time with the first female F-18 pilot on the team Lt Amanda Lee #3 Left wing.
Thank you for your service, Sir! I was in the USAF for 24 years working on the ramp with the RE-4C! I saw a few gear-up landings. You are not alone in that club. You kept your head on straight and made the best of it. Well done, Commander.
I retired USAF after 21 years, working F-4s. There was a red light in the cockpit that would flash indicating gear up if the airspeed fell below 250 knots. The F-4s I worked on were newer models than the ones in this video. Did they not have that warning light?
@@alanhess9306 They probably did. Our T-34s primary trainers had 'em!
I'm wondering too, the photos and normal protocol has a guy in back of the Navy F-4. He doesn't mention anyone else in the A/C though.
@@KutWrite Blue Angels in the F4 always flew single seat I believe.
@@tonyf9076 That's believable, but I'm sure I see a helmet in the back seat of this one.
Even if a RIO wasn't required, I'd guess they'd fly guests as they do in #7 today.
Charlie, where did you see the RF-4C gear up landings?
I'm a pilot and I can't count the number of mistakes I've made. We're all human. I have so much respect for this pilot for admitting his mistake - which I'm sure resulted in many other pilots to learn from this. Thanks for sharing your story.
I second the respect. I can only imagine the feelings you must have had. The relief of not hitting the crowd or your teammates, but the horrible feeling of guilt and embarrassment of making such an error as one if the best aviators in the world; and fear of not only being discharged from the team, but the Navy as well. Thank you for your service, and dedication to the military and the United Stares.
I was stationed at Offutt AFB from 1969 through 1973 for my first USAF tour. My boss in DOCODW, Major Doug Jewett, asked if I'd like to fly up to the Cedar Rapids air show as part of a KC-97 tanker crew to put on a USAF static display. Since there was nothing to do in Omaha that weekend, I accepted and was manning the aircraft giving tours when Jim and I witnessed this. It was a huge surprise and, at first, we thought it joke until we saw the aircraft catch fire!
Believe me, it was every but as dramatic as the pilot described.
Great pilots. Every person, no matter how disciplined, can make mistakes. We're human. Tough man to say all of that. I served on the USS Lexington and USS Forrestal. Many brave pilots and human as can be.
The Blue Ghost...
Any landing you can walk away from is a good landing! We all make mistakes! Thank you for the courage to tell this amazing story! Semper Fi!
The human element can never be taken out of what they do. Thanks for sharing.
Takes a LOT of humility to be open about this to teach other beginner thru veteran military or civilian pilots that a gear up landing can happen to anyone, given a runaway chain of events. I respect this man. In my aviation career I learned the safest mindset to adopt was one where I tried to always be aware that something like this COULD happen to me if I didn't recognize the links in the chain were starting to join up.
This eloquent and humble first-person recollection had me in his cockpit as the disaster sequenced. All I could imagine myself thinking as I lay on that runway would’ve been “exactly HOW many people showed up to see me get myself fired today?”
The closest I came to a gear up landing was when I was in Korea and my #4 was low on fuel and the weather was bad that night. Because the weather was bad, I did a shotgun approach which means I landed first which I hated as a flight lead. I was trying to give my wingman as much space as possible so no one would have to go around, so I delayed putting my gear down. Luckily the tower always says "Check wheels down" during the landing clearance. I always looked at the gear handle when they said that, and sure enough the handle was up. I quickly put it down and said "gear down, cleared to land" while I kept my eyes on the handle until the red light went out and I got my 3 green lights. That habit pattern saved me that night. Ps. That yours just an honest mistake and nothing willful. I'm glad only metal was hurt....former Air Force F16 pilot
Yup. I did that once on short final. But not in Korea!
@@grafhilgenhurst9717 I think everyone in a retractable gear plane has....or will....
As a career pilot with nearly 30 years experience, the aviation industry has taught me that even the best are susceptible to human factors mistakes. After those mistakes get made, the greatest of the great embrace the reality of the experience as a learning opportunity and must reach within themselves, and move on a better person. There is no doubt Mr. Christensen is a humble and exceptional pilot and individual. Thanks for sharing this experience.
It's call being human. Getting up, dusting yourself off and "get back to it" is what we all must do.
A true lesson of life: loyalty and leadership !
Although I never had the pleasure of seeing the Blues fly the F4s, Capt. Harley Hall was from my hometown, Vancouver, Washington. We were even the same age. After he was shot down on the last day of hostilities in Vietnam, his wingman stayed with him and reported that he escaped from the beach where he landed, and ran into the jungle, very much alive. He was supposedly transported by the VC into the USSR prison where he disappeared. After the war, the North Vietnamese disavowed any knowledge of him, and so did the Russians.
To this day he is deemed MIA and POW. Especially tragic considering he is officially the last US casualty of the conflict. From 1995 to 2005 I had the honor of being the Operations manager of the Pearson Air Museum on Pearson Field in Vancouver. We honored Harley at every opportunity, and supported his sister in her efforts to find his remains and to have them repatriated, without success. We played Threshold the movie, in our theater every day.
Saw the Blue Angels (F4's) perform off of Ft. Walton Beach around mid 1969, my mom came home and said get ready to go, we're fixing to go watch something I know you'll like. We arrived (thousands of other people were already there), and waited and finally, here they came from the west (I assume they flew from their home base in Pensacola, FL) at the time. Show lasted like nearly two hours. Never forgotten it!
This was one of my earliest memories ever. I was 3 yrs old and remember a day that was hot as ever sitting on my dad's itchy old army blanket with my brothers and sister. I do remember some type of chaos and my dad talking about it for a while after and felt bad for the pilot but happy he survived. My dad was a pilot in the army and knew what it meant to be in the cockpit. 21 yrs later I still remembered it when I was flying in the USAF. Must have been some type of impression to make me want to go into flying. LOL.
One of the amazing parts of that story is how he continued to "fly" the airplane AFTER he made a wheels up landing. Yep, he screwed up, but still demonstrated good airmanship and responsibility.
As they say, any landing that you survive is a good landing. Thankful that this is all that happened and no one was seriously hurt or killed. Lessons learned and stories to tell. Bravo!
I wonder if my Dad was working that day in the Control Tower at Cedar Rapids. He was an Air Traffic Controller there in the 70s. He has passed, but would have enjoyed listening to the story.
I would have loved to see them in the F4's!! Ryan I'm so glad you are documenting all of this Blue Angels history 😁
I did see them in F-4s. Can't remember the year, exactly, but :'68/maybe at NAS Norfolk Azelia Festival Airshow.
@@garymartin9777 So Long ago hard to put the exact year , I hear you . I saw Them twice In Phantoms and one Time was over the Lake , I could not tell you the years either . What a Team !
@@markcantemail8018 I've seen the Blue Angels but not in the F-4. I worked Avionics on F-4s and saw the Thunderbirds in F-4s several times. Very impressive show. I was always impressed by the power of the Phantom. I saw the Thunderbirds after they transitioned to T-38s. Very cool but not nearly as impressive. Great pilots flying great machines.
@@garymartin9777 couldn't have been '68 as the Blues were still in the Tiger then... most likely '69
In 1972 I was flying as a student in a T-37 at Webb AFB. Was landing at a practice field (Peckerwood). I had the landing nailed. All at once the IP at about 500 ft lined up with the runway the IP said don’t you hear what is going on in your headset. The mobile controller was telling me to go around your wheels are not down. Also A horn was going off in my headset. I did not have three green and all visual and audible indications were telling me my wheels were up. I was so locked into the landing I did not see or hear any of this. The IP said “I got the airplane” and we went around. This was a good lesson. From that time forward I would say out loud to myself…handle, horn, lights lights, pressure up before landing,
That's what instructors are for! Recovering from a mistake like that is also one of the best ways to ensure that you never make it again and that you end up as a much safer, more attentive pilot because you came so close to disaster!
Interesting Bill, I was a student in '72 at Willie.
I remember the day like it was yesterday. I was a senior at the University of Iowa and had been accepted to Marine Aviation Officer Candidate School. I was standing next to the picket fence on the north side of the runway near the runway 27 threshold approach area. As the F4 approached the runway I noticed that the land gear was not down and then shortly thereafter the aircraft made solid contact with the runway with enough force to jar the starboard afterburner to about a 35 degree canted position with flamed emitting from the stress ruptured area due to impact. As the aircraft skidded down the runway, consuming about three quarters of the runway I saw the canopy spinning into the air and then the ejection sequence. I recall seeing the deployed parachute make two oscillations before ground contact. The aircraft rested up against a woven wire fence at the end of the runway. As I recall the engines were still running and a maintenance crew was dispatched to shut down the engines. The damaged aircraft was temporally stored in the back portion of Wathan Flying Service’s hanger.
All in all it was a good landing because it was one that could be walked away from. It takes a real professional to share such an experience. No matter how good we are at our professions we all have those moments that bit us at times. I can image the work load in the cockpit trying to manage a malfunction and in a split second one can easily miss one essential item. Thanks for have the courage to share your experience.
I was in the crowd that day watching the whole thing and then guarded the plane with other people of our civil air patrol group. I was 12 years old.
The golden era of Aviation. Thank you
Superb officer. He was Skipper of Ranger when I was aboard for my first squadron tour with VAQ-131.
I love it! This Pilot is great! Nobody is perfect we all make mistakes one time or another. I really appreciate the story!
Incredible nerves and integrity. To be more concerned with the lives of spectators and fellow pilots during a deadly situation.
Much respect Sir!
Thank you for sharing your story Sir and we thank you for your dedicated service. God Bless.
Thank you so much for Is your service to our country And everyone makes mistakes It's truly how you pick yourself up once again thank you so much for your service
Good stuff. Loving hearing these stories. This guy is very humble.
Amazing
We all make mistakes. Some more expensive than others. Just glad you were able to control it enough to stay clear of the spectators and eject safely.
I was told by my dad that I was there and witnessed this (at age 6), but I don't have any clear memories of it. Thanks for making this video.
Great personality, own up to your mistake and press on. Stand up group of leadership.
This Man is a True Legend and a Hero of an Example in showing all of us that ANYTHING can happen to ANYONE at ANYTIME!! Respect Forever!!
Glad this all worked out - and thanks for sharing your story - definitely helps others!
"Thank God for Harley" ... in many more ways than one, Ernie! ^v^
You’re a great and humble legend sir. Always a Blue Angel.
I was there that day..... very close to the runway. Took photos with my 35mm Nikon. Weather was overcast that day. Show was cut short. I remember yelling he's landing with out the landing gear. My Brother-in law said no he will go around and I commented he's flaring and then he hit surface.. flames ignited , drag shoot burned off , after clearing the runway he ejected. Thanks to the pilot no one was hurt ! Amazing Day; lessons learned. never knew what happened to the Pilot... Great to know he continued flying and wasn't grounded for the error.
Blue Angels Phantom pilots were always my inspiration. Great individuals!
Great stuff, really enjoying these Blue Angel videos, thanks !
We learn from the beginning of our flight lessons , that one thing is called Error , and the other is called Violation. A mistake can happen to any pilot, and his record would tell if he deserves another chance or not. The second is inadmissible, and your out. Only highly well and educated men can recognize his mistakes, and admitted it publicly. My hole respect to You Sir !
I've always wondered about this. Thanks for the video.
I was 11 years and there that day. Spent 8 years in the USMC where I saw the Angels almost every year and have seen them 5 times since. Never forget that C.R. show though.
Never heard of this before. Amazing. I guess it can be easy to forget…once in your career.
Everyone screws up at one point or another in their flying career to varying degrees. It’s not the screw up itself that’s necessarily important, it’s how it’s handled and reported and ultimately the ability of the system or organisation (or individual) to learn from the event and modify procedures or practices. As a previous poster said - much respect to this Airman. He put his hand up, and said ‘ I screwed up’.
I only looked at this video because of the Cedar Rapids connection. I’d not previously heard of this incident, however I visited the airfield in Spring ’93 whilst hour building for a commercial license (now have 14,500 hours as a commercial pilot in the UK).
Thanks for sharing.
Saw these F-4s at SBY Summer '71. Incredibly close and low directly in front of the small town crowd. Couldn't happen today. I remember the opposing solos pass was amazingly close..
Much respect. I'm not sure I could ever recover from such an event.
Listening to him speak gave me goosebumps. He and his fellow blues involved that day had angels on their shoulders. Just to survive an ejection from an F-4 sliding on the runway is no guarantee you will survive. Steering clear of his teammates while sliding, on fire was amazing. I'm guessing the entire thing was over in less than a minute.
At KMCAS we had an F-4 fold a wing on take off. The RIO got out but the pilots seat fucked up. Capt. Color died . The airplane was on the beach pointed where it came from not looking too bad actually. I had the duty that day and we watched the plane all night.
I had good rudder control I look up and "There's Harley and Kelly, Oh my God, I can't get out." So he stayed with it and kicked the rudder to miss his teammate. Went off the runway and was able to punch. You stayed with the jet and saved lives. You say "Thank God for Harley" I say thank goodness for you YOU, Sir.
No one gets to be good without making mistakes. Getting back in the seat makes this guy someone to be respected and listened to.
I'm an F4 crew chief & have witnessed a gear up landing first hand.
I was at that airshow.
We were closer to the landing end of the runway (the east end if I recall correctly) but I remember seeing the flames and when he ejected.
Great video. And here's the thing about great pilots is that he's sliding down the runway on fire and he's still got the situational awareness and balls of steel to keep "flying" the plane to miss the crowd and then to get past the other aircraft. One mistake sucked. Compounding that into a series of mistakes could have been so much worse. That's the way to keep working the problem. BZ from an old A-7 maintenance guy and Midway sailor
I'm a USAF vet, but grew up watching the Blues at Mugu Space Fairs in the '60's and have always been a fan. Blue Angels forever! Phabulous Phantoms forever!
I witnessed this at the age of 7 ... I remember the aircraft rolling down the runway, the sirens of the firetrucks and all of us looking up to see a guy in a parachute ...
Threshold is the most iconic documentary of the Blue Angels ever made.
I served in Strike Ops under Capt Christensen on the USS Ranger during Desert Storm. I will never forget him. He was a wonderful CO who, in my opinion as a LT, was an excellent officer.
I'm glad you were not hurt. I'm sorry you had this happen. I think its a testiment to your character and talent that you kept with the team. I can hear you... Boss I'm sorry I heard all the chatter and started to react and bam I put her on the ground. I messed up... but I'm glad to be here. 👍
I was there that day with binoculars with my dad. I told him that the last plane did not have his wheels down but he said that couldn't be right. The thing that actually frightened me the most was the ejection. I remember thinking how could anybody survive that acceleration of the canopy. I recall they quickly trucked the plane out of there. It was a dramatic ending to a great show.
Some times we learn more as a team from one our members that has a small error the can grow into a significant event. Great airmanship protecting the crowd and teammates. I wish I could have seen a show with the F-4!
Good on your boss to keep you on the team! Our military seems to have lost the command leadership’s element of standing behind its people
Human error is prevalent in every flight! I know you and your team reviewed every flight with scrutiny that’s how we get better!
Glad you are ok and and able to tell this story it will help other aviators for sure!!!
I was 5 years old and watching with my family from a gravel road next to the airport.
Not sure of the Phantom but in a Skyhawk, flaps down and throttle below 70 percent and you get a headset tone and a "WHEELS" light on the glare shield.
An 11k hour purely civilian ATP myself, I have nothing but respect for this man...clearly many others do as well based directly on the fact the decision was made to keep him flying.
Wow!. thanks for this👍
Awesome they kept him flying on the team
Given that is was the Flying Brick, the tough F4, surprised they didn't hose it down and have it flying the next day ;)
Firing someone for a mistake IS often a mistake in itself. People learn from them and become better.
All humans are fallible. This man shows us how to admit mistake and learn in the process.
The most impressive part of that story is (then) LT Christensen being aware enough to attempt to do everything he could to protect the public and his colleagues, even if that meant he had to stay in that aircraft until the bitter end. He could have punched out at any time but he chose to stay with it until the airplane was in a good place. THAT is the real measure of the man, being more concerned for the safety of those around him than for his own until only he was at risk. 👍👍
Glad he was able to continue his career. These days, if an investigation shows that it was pilot error, even with the tower not signaling him to check his gear or telling him to abort his landing and go around, he still would have faced serious consequences because he allowed himself to get distracted at a critical moment, placing not only his teammates and the ground crew but also the observing public in danger, and would probably be grounded for good and few would likely disagree with that outcome.
One mistake (even an expensive and potentially catastrophic one like that, had it not been for his actions after the fact) shouldn't end the career of a highly trained, highly skilled pilot. I think we are too unforgiving of such things today. The fact that this man was able to not only recover personally from his mistake, but to be able to perform well enough thereafter and prove valuable enough and capable enough to finish out his career as a Rear Admiral proves that keeping on was the right thing to do.
Funny that we all tend to hold ourselves to high regard, expectations and standards and neglect the fact that even the best of the best can make some of the simplest mistakes guess I needed this video tonight ha
Even the Pro's have a Bad Day! So glad you can tell the story.
Wow is all i can say. I hope you get this comment in Heaven Ernie, thank you for your service. What a life time of achievements and tales of a bit of everything. A common man myself who could never fly for bad eyesight, could only imagine being in a life as you had. Thank you Blue Angels and US Navy and all our services.
OUCH! I was stationed with VT-2 NAS Whiting Field in 1970, hard to believe I don't recall the event,
It was probably 1973 or 1974, and the Blue Angels were practicing for an Air Show in a few days during Cheyenne Frontier Days. I might be mistaken, but I seem to recall this was a Saturday Morning. We lived very close to the Cheyenne Airport, and also Frontier Park where the Rodeo and Carnival were conducted. That morning, very early, before the first Parade of the 10-day event, two Angeles were practicing and clipped wings above Frontier Park. I believe both planes crashed. One of the pilots ejected on the way down, but was launched into one of the barns where a young man whom I went to school with was working. The pilot struck him. The pilot died. The young man was crippled and of course, traumatized by all of this. That was the last year the Blue Angels flew over Cheyenne during Frontier Days. Now, it is the Thunderbirds. These are my memories from 45 years ago. I would love to read corrections if there are any. Thank you.
vs
Brutal.
I googled it and am surprised you didn't, so you could get the facts. Your memory is off on many things, but I am 70 and my memory isn't much better. Google it. But, here's a hint: it wasn't a Blue Angels crash.
@@MrTruckerf Right... I did fact check myself afterwards, and I did post a correction to my post. Trouble is, it didn't show up.... perhaps it showed up elsewhere. But you are correct, and I meant no disrespect to anyone... just posting from what I recall. I was very young. And while I doubt your memory is actually as good as mine is, I concede that in this case, your ability to "Google it" is much vaunted, and better than my memory in this case. I did ask for corrections, not snide comments. Nevertheless, I do expect that you and I would get along famously in person, especially if I served you an expertly grilled steak, fine wine, and perhaps a spot of bourbon. Thank you.
vs
@@MrTruckerf, perhaps at some point here, the thought crossed your mind that there are those who are close to traumatic events ...and they actually _don't want to_ relive it. I see Van Savant to have gone over and above to share what his own memory has preserved of the event, albeit in non-perfect form. As all of our memories are, being susceptible to error even 45 _hours_ afterward. Let alone 45 years.
You had the option to thank him for sharing, and to present any corrections, which he clearly indicated he would greatly appreciate. Well no one has done that here yet. At least, not successfully. So I'm going to do it now...
Mon, July 25, 1977 at 6:40am
Cheyenne Frontier Days
Frontier Park, Cheyenne, Wyoming
Located across I-25 from F. E. Warren AFB
Thunderbird #7
Northrop T-38 Talon
Pilot /Narrator: Capt Charles M. Carter, age 33, from Luling, Tx (also reported as San Antonio, close by)
Backseater /Crew Chief: SSgt Ted Foster, age 27, of Charlotte, NC
There was light rain that morning. Charlie aborted his landing attempt. He experienced a severe problem, and the backseater ejected, injuring his nose upon landing on the racetrack surrounding the rodeo arena. Carter also ejected, but too late. Witnesses stated that they think he stayed with the aircraft long enough to avoid campers on the grounds. The aircraft careened into the rodeo bullpen. Two bulls were killed.
Van's schoolmate was Ronnie Clifton, age 16, who played drums in the Cheyenne Central Marching Band. He was cleaning up stalls where rodeo bulls were kept when he was hit by flying debris, which broke his arm. None of the reports I read said anything about him being permanently crippled. But those articles seem to have been written too soon to be able to make any assessment of permanent damage.
This newspaper thumbnail has a photo of the wreckage, and also a PR photo of Carter sitting in his #7 jet.
His wife, Tracey, had just given birth to their first child, Christopher Miles, the month before. June '77. So he should be 44 years old today. Tracey filed a lawsuit against the City of Cheyenne, on the grounds that the airport gave bad info to her husband regarding runway conditions. It was ruled in 1982 that the US Govt could not be held liable.
Commander of the Thunderbirds was Dan Cherry. His team was enroute to Cheyenne. They ended up diverting into Offut AFB, Nebraska. Cherry was a Vietnam combat veteran having flown F-105s and F-4s with nearly 300 combat missions. Credited with shooting down a MiG-21. He retired in 1988 as a BGen. So it is evident that his career was not marred by this horrible crash.
Now Dan Cherry's story is absolutely fascinating...
The day of his MiG kill was April 16, 1972. His backseater was Jeff Feinstein. A WSO who went on to become the last US Ace ever. On the day of that first shootdown, they watched the pilot of that MiG-21 eject. His parachute deployed. With plenty of altitude, unlike Carter. But they never knew whether he survived the landing, or if he did, how badly he might have gotten injured.
...that is, until 36 years later. Cherry ended up meeting this North Vietnamese fighter pilot. And the two became the best of friends. Here's that story:
th-cam.com/video/5nelyf6jQk0/w-d-xo.html
I remember another incident that may have been a Thunderbird F-4. It got stuck in burner and landed gear up.
If I am not mistaken much of the footage was done by Filmsmiths for the documentary, "Threshold." Contemporary audience might recognize Frank Herbert, the author of "Dune" as having written the narration of the Blue Angels documentary film. Special call-out to David Gardner and the late Paul Marlow whose film, correct me if I am wrong, appears in the video.
Great story I was wondering you would think that there would be some type of alarm system sensor warning the pilot or even the control tower personnel warning the pilot that your landing gear is still up.
I was a 9-year old boy in the audience along that runway. My mom had to pull me away from the fence as the flaming jet slid past us. I’ll never forget it.
Sometimes things just happen. It's called fate. Good or bad. Made a great mistake into good by doing what he did after the fact and saved lives. Can't get away with things with the Phantom. They will bite you hard even when not running & standing still. Great story on a Real event. Thank you sir for your service and for the video.
I just finished reading this man’s accomplishments. Holy cow. My mistakes at work have never been that expensive. But apparently just as memorable. The guys at work would never let them just die a silent death.Of course I kept adding to the legend. The story is that your call sign is given you by your name or something that happens. Such as last name Campbell would probably become “Soup”
When I worked for the railroad. I earned “Lightning” Because I could never hit the same place twice with the mail.
Did he get a new call sign ? “Gear Up”. I miss the military days.
Imo it took brass Balls to make this video. Thank you for this humble account of your accident. Not many would do this.
And a good lesson for young Navy pilots: even if you do such a basic mistake, still you can end up your career as Real Admiral! Just imagine where you could end up if you lower the gear...
Legendary comment.
@@jaybee9269 Yeah sorry for the tone but... let's say that it was a sarcarstic way to say that it should not happen🤷♂️
Shit happens, even to the best of the best, case in point, Mr Dale Snodgrass. Great video. Love the phantom in blue.
Incredible story. The very best - he's one - can make mistakes. Flying is a business that does not suffer any inattention.
"Thank God for Harley." ❤😢🙏
Much respect for Real Admiral Ernie Christensen, shows even highly trained professionals can make mistakes.
Great gear up rudder work
So no alarm goes of to indicate landing gear is up if the altimeter is below 15 ft?