Pod's Loss From Plane Unexplained
Newcastle Herald
Monday September 15, 2008
THE Department of Defence is at a loss to explain why an instrument pod fell from a Williamtown F/A-18 Hornet's wing during a training exercise on August 29.
A Defence Department spokeswoman said an investigation into the loss of the pod was continuing.The Air Combat Manoeuvring Instrumentation (ACMI) Pod detached from the aircraft above a sparsely populated area north-east of Bylong and the south-east of Merriwa in the Upper Hunter and has not been recovered."An aerial search has been conducted and we are looking into the viability of a land search," the spokeswoman said.The pod, which provides three dimensional manoeuvring data for mission review as well as tactical training and development, came loose about 10.40am while the aircraft was performing a manoeuvre similar to those used in air to air combat. A department statement, released after the loss of the pod, said pods would not be refitted until the reason for its mid-air detachment was known. While the pods are used on various aircraft worldwide, the spokeswoman said as far as they knew the detachment of the pod was an isolated incident."There are a large number of ACMI Pods being used on military aircraft globally," she said."This is the first incident to have occurred in the RAAF and there have been no known incidents at a global level."The pod is a long grey tube with a tapered snout, similar in shape to a missile, but contains no hazardous materials.The Defence Department has encouraged anyone who can assist in the recovery of the pod to contact the police.
© 2008 Newcastle Herald