A Warning Of Flying To Close?
Further to my blog on the piece from the late Gene Earl
Burton and has a URL of
http://www.skypark.org/aero_memories/Gene_Burton.html.
The main paragraph under discussion in both the earlier
piece and in this article is this:
‘Then, in June of 1966 we were instructed by the Air Force
to do a photo ops for the General Electric Company in which other planes that
use GE engines would join in behind the XB‑70A (ship #2) for some in‑flight
pictures that GE would use to help sell Lear Jets. At first, Al White refused
to fly the mission because of the danger involved. In a low altitude, low‑speed
flight configuration, the XB‑70A was very unstable ‑ like trying to drive a
race car in city traffic. When the Air Force insisted, Al went along but he was
in a very bad mood, as attested to his bad language during the photo ops
maneuvering. Al’s copilot was Major Carl Cross, making his first flight in the
XB‑70A. As the smaller planes began to form up on the XB‑70A, the plane that
was to fly on the XB‑70A's right wing tip was an F‑104 Starfighter flown by
astronaut Joe Walker. At that time, Joe held the world's altitude flying record
and was a great test pilot as well as the chief umpire for the Monte Vista
Little League, where I was President. Twice Al was heard telling Joe Walker to
“get off my #@*# wing!” Suddenly, Joe got caught in an up‑draft under the XB‑70A's
right wing tip. The F‑104 rolled up and over the top Of the XB‑70A, damaging
one of the ship's vertical stabilizers. The Starfighter cartwheeled and
exploded. Colonel Cotton, flying in a T‑38, radioed, "Midair!
Midair!" Next, Cotton was telling the XB‑70A crew, “O.K., it looks like
your tail is gone. You'll probably spin ... Bail out!" The ship did spin
and cartwheel for 25,000 feet before it crashed am the desert floor. Al White's
capsule ejected, but its inflatable bottom cushion didn't open, and Al's back
was badly damaged when the capsule landed in a pile of rocks. Major Cross never
got out of the plane. During a debriefing at the EAFB hospital, Al explained
that he had encapsulated and was set to eject when he looked over to see that
Cross was not properly preparing for ejection. He was pushing on the panel
trying to force his seat back into the capsule which was the correct procedure
in a B‑58 which Cross had been flying prior to his assignment to the XB‑70A. Al
said that he opened his capsule and was trying to show Cross what to do when
the ship went out of control. Al had no choice but to eject. However, he did it
so fast that he failed to got his right arm back inside the capsule. As a
result, his right elbow was injured during ejection. We couldn't believe that
Major Cross hadn't learned the ejection process. We went to the seat ejection
simulator where all XB‑70A Pilots were supposed to spend so many hours a week
(I can't recall how many) practicing seat ejection. According to the log book,
Major Cross had initialed the required practice time. However, the simulation
crew told us that he never got in the seat ‑ he just came, initialed the log
book, and left. That deception cost him his life. In all, the crash took two
lives and caused injuries that ended the career of another. I didn't know Major
Cross that well, but Joe Walker was a good friend, and I miss him even to this
day.
After looking at the Seat Ejection Simulator aspect in the
first article, another item I started to question is this statement ‘…Twice Al
was heard telling Joe Walker to “get off my #@*# wing!”…’
I have a copy of the transcripts of Air-To-Ground and
Interphone communications recorded of the last flight of 62-0207 as contained
in the official accident report. I used extracts of these transcripts in my Pen &
Sword book ‘Valkyrie The North
American XB70’.
Given Mr Burton’s statement, I went back to the transcipts
and looked again more closely. The preamble to the transcripts states that
call-signs of the aircraft participants in the formation flight are given, and
that the transcript includes only
VHF communications and available interphone conversations that took place in
the XB-70.
TO MY KNOWLEDGE THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THIS TRANSCRIPT HAS APPEARED IN FULL TO THIS POINT.
At the start of the transcript the formation was described,
along with the crews and call-signs, working from left to right.
T-38 ‘601’
Pilot:
Capt Hoag, Copilot: Col Cotton
F-4B ‘Bartender
97’ Pilot: Cmdr Skyrud, OBS: AT1 Black
XB70A ‘207’
Pilot:
Mr White, Copilot: Maj Cross
F-104N ‘813’ Pilot:
Mr Walker
F-5A ‘989’ Pilot:
Mr Fritz
Although not listed, off to the left of the formation was
the Gates Lear Jet containing photographers.
All times states are PDST.
0908:54.
INTERPHONE. (WHITE): Do you want to fly? (CROSS): Say again?
(WHITE): Do you want to fly? (CROSS): Affirm. I have it.
This establishes one very important fact – Maj Cross was the
one who was flying the XB-70 from this point on.
0909:31
DATA CONTROL: Two Zero Seven what is your total fuel? (207 –
CROSS):Eighty point Five. DATA CONTROL: Roger.
0909:54
INTERPHONE: (Garbled and intermittent conversation up to and
immediately before the next sequence).
0912:13
DATA CONTROL: Two Zero Seven may I have your Tank One and
Tank Eight quantity please?
0912:28
(207 – CROSS): Tank – Tank One is seventeen point two. Eight
left is seven point one. Eight right is nine point zero. (DATA CONTROL): Roger,
thank you.
0912:38
(207 – WHITE): Hey, Frank, how about going to long interval
here? I’m down to fifteen percent on the digital. (DATA CONTROL): Rogg. Go
ahead. (207 – WHITE): Yes.
0912:58
(989): Data Control Nine Eight Nine. (DATA CONTROL): Go
Ahead Nine Eight Nine. (989) You
might ask the Learjet if they’ve ah, had enough yet. Ah, I think we’ve given them as much as
they expected. Would you mind checking that? (DATA CONTROL): Nine Eight Nine,
the Learjet said they’re still taking pictures and they’ll let us know when
they are through. (989) Data, Nine Eight Nine was unable on that one. (601 –
COTTON): John, he ah, this is Joe. He said – I heard him say ah, is back their
still doing some good and he wants about fifteen more minutes if possible.
0913:34
(989) This is Nine Eight Nine. Roger, why don’t we have a
fuel check and confirmation from the formation members? Start with Bartender
Nine Seven.
0913:45
(BARTENDER 97): This is Bartender Nine Seven. I’ve still got
forty minutes. (989) Ah, Roger, you’re OK for fifteen minutes more and return
to Mugu? (BARTENDER 97): Nine Seven Affirm. (989) Rog. (989) Nine Eight Nine’s
OK. (813) Eight One Three likewise. (601 – HOAG) Six oh one is fat.
0914:08
(DATA CONTROL): Two Zero Seven’s OK.
0914:12
(601 – COTTON): How’s Tank Five Carl? Did it stop at nine
point zero? (INTERPHONE – CROSS) I’ll check on it in just a minute. (INTERPHONE
– WHITE): Maybe you better go up in a bit. (INTERPHONE – CROSS) I’ll check this
fuel if you want to take it a minute Al.
0914:25
(207 – WHITE): We’re going to have to climb a little bit, I
guess – either that or everybody prop your card up on – the cowl there.
0915:10
(207 – CROSS): Eight’s feeding in normal sequence.
0915:24
(UNIDENTIFIED): Edwards Approach Control, ah…
0917:25
(carrier keyed)
0918:20
(207 – UNIDENTIFIED): -, do you want to fly?
0918:24
(207 – WHITE): Turning left.
Although not proven by the transcripts, the fact that White
says ‘turning left’ suggests that he was the pilot now flying the XB-70.
0920:02:
(DATA CONTROL): Ah, yes, this is Data Control. Is tank eight
feeding now? (207 - Cross): Affirmative tank eight is feeding properly now. (DATA
CONTROL): Rog.
0921:24
(INTERPHONE - CROSS): They must have had that Learjet full
of film or they'd be out of business by now. (INTERPHONE – WHITE ): Yes—He was
sitting there but he's up here now. This hole is getting smaller and smaller
too.
0922:47
813 - WALKER): We must be helping the cumulus activity along
with all this hot air. (207 – WHITE): Yes. (UNIDENTIFED) Yes. (UNIDENTIFID):
Thank you.
0924:48
RAPCON: Two zero seven. Traffic. Two zero miles east of your
position, orbiting Three Sisters two four zero, two seven zero. (207 – WHITE): Roger,
Thank you.
0925:05
(207 – WHITE): We got a contrail out there—but, I don't ah,
it looks like he's higher than that. (INTERPHONE - CROSS): Probably—
0925:23
(601 – COTTON) Learsjets Lear – another four minutes the
Learjet said. (207 - WHITE): Thanks, Joe.
0925:40
(UNIDENTIFIED): (two carriers keyed simultaneously)
0925:42
(DATA CONTROL): Two zero seven, the Learjet says about three
more minutes. (207 – WHITE): OK, Zeke.
09:26:06
(RAPCON): Two zero seven, he's off your left wing now ah,
below the clouds. (207 – WHITE):Roger, thank you. (RAPCON): The B-58's speed
run is now one five miles east of your position westbound three zero zero or above. (207 – WHITE):I have
him, thank you.
09:26:26
(UNIDENTIFIED): At this time there was one carrier burst
followed by a longer carrier, of one second maximum duration, sounding like a
live microphone in an open cockpit.
09:26:28
(UNIDENTIFIED): There were two or more carriers on the
frequency with resultant signal clash, followed by
(601 - HOAG): Mid-air, mid-air, stand by for— (601 - COTTON):
You got the verticals, this is Cotton, you got the verticals—came off left and
right. We're staying with ya, no sweat, now you're holding good, Al.
This is approximately three pages of transcript. There is no
redactions shown, and no signs of any ‘page cuts’. As can be seen, there is no sign anywhere of Mr Burton’s
statement that Al White warned Joe
Walker in the F-104 to stay away from the XB-70’s wing
What is not known is if there was a further discreet
frequency or radio channel in use for aircraft – to – aircraft communications.
If there was, it is not shown in the transcripts.
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