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| Tomcat Explosion 2 |
| An alternate explanation of this mysterious explosion... |
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From the footage it is quite apparent that the F-14 is transonic, leaving shock waves but not quite supersonic. This means that the aircraft is doing on the order of 550 to 630 knots depending on the air temperature.
From that position to the point of explosion is only a few seconds, and to do as stated in the other person's narrative the F-14 would have had to be below 100 knots with one engine stalled/failed and the other in max afterburner. It is obvious that the F-14 is still doing approximately the same speed when it exploded as it was when it passed the ship. This means that the F-14 could not have entered a condition called Velocity Minimum Control (Vmc) at that time. The probable cause is more likely to be a failure in the fuel control unit or manifold leaking fuel onto a hot engine, or failure in the nozzle actuation system leaking engine oil into the same area, either scenario can cause such catastrophic consequences as seen in the film clip. |
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Vmc occurs in multi-engine aircraft at low airspeeds when an engine fails and there isn't enough directional stability linked with rudder control to counteract the asymmetric forces created by the live engine. This is a simplistic explanation to a very complex set of aerodynamic and physical events that occur when such problems exist.
Take a look at the picture, below. It shows a typical engine compartment fire, which can lead to complete loss of the aircraft. Imagine this at high speed and high fuel flow at pressures in the order of a 1000 psi. |
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Regards,
Scott Talman |