Inside a fatal Super Hornet crash in Star Wars canyon
Geoff Ziezulewicz
A U.S. Navy F/A-18E Super Hornet was flying “too fast and too low with respect to the surrounding terrain†before it struck the wall of Star Wars canyon in California’s Death Valley National Park last summer, according to an internal investigation obtained by Navy Times.
The July 31 crash took the life of Lt. Cmdr. Charles Z. Walker, 33, a pilot with Strike Fighter Squadron 151.
Walker was a lieutenant at the time and was posthumously promoted.
“The flight profile created conditions where the processing time and subsequent reaction time required of the pilot made it difficult for the aircraft to exit the canyon safely,†the report states.
https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2020/05/22/inside-a-fatal-super-hornet-crash-in-star-wars-canyon/
