Mishaps mark John McCain's record as naval aviator

Source: Los Angeles Times

Three crashes early in his career led Navy officials to question or fault his judgment.
By Ralph Vartabedian and Richard A. Serrano, Los Angeles Times Staff Writers
October 6, 2008
John McCain was training in his AD-6 Skyraider on an overcast Texas morning in 1960 when he slammed into Corpus Christi Bay and sheared the skin off his plane's wings.

McCain recounted the accident decades later in his autobiography. "The engine quit while I was practicing landings," he wrote. But an investigation board at the Naval Aviation Safety Center found no evidence of engine failure.

The 23-year-old junior lieutenant wasn't paying attention and erred in using "a power setting too low to maintain level flight in a turn," investigators concluded.

The crash was one of three early in McCain's aviation career in which his flying skills and judgment were faulted or questioned by Navy officials.

In his most serious lapse, McCain was "clowning" around in a Skyraider over southern Spain about December 1961 and flew into electrical wires, causing a blackout, according to McCain's own account as well as those of naval officers and enlistees aboard the carrier Intrepid. In another incident, in 1965, McCain crashed a T-2 trainer jet in Virginia.


Read more: http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-aviator6-2008oct06,0,7633315.story

He shouldn't be piloting planes, much less this country.

Mistakes happen to everyone and flying jets isn't necessarily a simple task. I can see myself crashing jets but that is probaly why I have no desire in jumping into one.

He graduated 5th from last in his class at Annapolis, crashed five jets, which got him captured and he spent the rest of his service as a prisoner.

If McCain/Palin want to call Obama a terorrist, I say let's expose his whole image.

I mean when it comes to military service his resume is decorated. Much more impressive then mine. He did graduate from the naval academy, may not be impressive, but many become officers off of any kind of 4 year degree from any creditited university qualifies you. Obama is much more intelligent in terms of graduating from Columbia and Harvard plus teaching. But there isn't a whole lot about McCain's military service to go after him.

in the Navy or going to school?

McCain should have been grounded after losing the first couple of planes but his family connections saved him.

the amount of training, time, and tax payers dollars just to TRAIN a pilot is immense. Then you throw in the cost of the plane, flight gear, fuel, it adds up to a fantastic amount of money- and that's for just ONE pilot.

Flying a plane ISN"T easy- that is why you train train train train train. That's why you are responsible for your actions, like you would be just driving a car. This guy wasn't punished ever.

This stupid schmuck crashed 3 planes. 3 Planes. That's probably close to 100 million dollars just in lost equipment.

He then kept flying-

I would bet a hundred bucks that he kept flying cause he has an admiral in the family. NOT because he was found to not be at fault for those three crashes.

He is JUST like the spoiled little bastard in the White House now. Never had to face the consquences for his actions.

He should be punished if he is at fault.

None of us were there when he crashed the planes so it is hard to say what really went down but I can understand shit happens so it is hard to criticize someone for crashing jets 40 years ago when I don't even have a clue how to fly one. Also I can't blame him for wasting taxpayers money when thousands of military equipment gets damanged, missing, or stolen, especially in southwest asia.

He is totally at fault! You fly a plane into freaking powerlines and cause a black out and then say you where horsing around (or whatever term the paper is using to describe childishness). You are at fault.

But this is nothing for me to concerned about it. Flying can be a little tricky but my point is I don't want to be held accountable for something I did 40 years ago. Everyone makes some boneheaded choices that wouldn't make the same choice, you could argue that John McCain would but on the flip side, while he was in charge of training squadran that flew jets he won a Unit Commendation Award for Safety! No crashes or injuries in 13 months. Which really isn't his credit, it's the trainers and the pilots that acheived the mark but in the military a commanding officer is blamed when someone in his/her unit gets a DUI so it works both ways.

So let's turn Charlie Manson loose and make him a GOP mis-LEADER!

Had he not been the son of a admiral would he have been allowed to continue in flight school and if so, would he have been assigned to carrier duty, and if so would he have been assigned to combat duty? There are other types of aircraft to fly in the Navy and other places to serve. I just don't see him ending up flying attack aircraft without some folks recognizing that is an admirals son and perhaps we should cut him a break.

I'm not disputing that.

from back then but it used to be that people who graduated so low in their class would not have advanced as he did and also the cost of the wrecked planes should have been an issue. He got ahead because of is family history. Sad really. Just another spoiled brat.

It shows McCain lacks attention to detail. Surviving a second crash is not an indication of improving performance.

McCain is careless, wreck less, hot headed, and lacks the basic insight to perceive the future effects of his present actions.

McCain is not the person to have 'piloting' the military.

It's unclear if McCain was guilty for causing the fire, but they transferred him from his air wing
pretty quickly afterward.
As any veteran can tell you, if you're involved in a mishap of this seriousness and you get transferred away a few weeks later, you've got friends in high places. It's more than suspicious.

It's also unfortunate that the Secretary of the Navy didn't examine his service file this year (for non-political reasons, of course) just as they non-politically investigated Kerry's file in 04.

Rolling Stone just wrote the best article I've read to date on the real McCain. I could not stop reading it! Check it out here: http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/make_believe_maverick_the_real_john_mccain

:hi:And if one is going to be out there anyway, they might want to check out Matt Taibbi's companion article on Mad Dog Palin. No fan of Sarahcuda, Mr. Tiabbi...