Accidents – DMZ hawaiʻi

May 20, 2015May 20, 2015

Turbulence and Zombie Militarism: When a deadly aircraft crash is just a “hard landing”

Photo: Ken Quinata/KHON

Planet Earth seems to be experiencing a period of geophysical turbulence. Molten magma on the move. Earthquake clusters near the crater of Kilauea. The lava lake of Halemaʻumaʻu exploding and overflowing its banks, then subsiding. Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions at tectonic hotspots around the worlds including Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Japan, and the terribly deadly swarm of quakes that killed thousands in Nepal.

The turbulence is also social and political. From #Blacklivesmatter demonstrations in Baltimore and other U.S. cities, to the worldwide #kukiaimauna #wearemaunakea protests against the Thirty Meter Telescope on sacred Mauna Kea, from kayaktivists blockading the Shell oil platform in Puget Sound, to Okinawans protesting on land and sea against the massive new reef-destroying Marine Corps base in Henoko, Okinawa, social relations are churning.

And now turbulence of the fluid dynamic sort, it seems, may have brought down a Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft in a deadly crash in Waimānalo, Hawaiʻi that killed ~~one~~ two marines and injured 20 others. Watch this cellphone video of the crash:

Hawaii News Now – KGMB and KHNL

In the video, a large cloud of dust is kicked up by the powerful rotors. You can see the Osprey descending quickly, apparently with enough speed that the cameraperson expresses alarm. The aircraft hits the ground in the dust cloud and pieces can be seen flying off. Then flames and thick black smoke envelope the airplane followed by a fireball.

The Marines called it a “hard landing” rather than a crash, and the media has continued to parrot that terminology. The spin machine kicked in to minimize the severity of the incident, then to reaffirm the safety of the aircraft. The Marine Corps has an interest minimizing the danger of the Osprey because it has been plagued by deadly accidents and ballooning costs. Despite several attempts by the Pentagon to kill the expensive program, the Marines have been able to bring it back from the dead—zombie militarism—mindless pursuit of the objective despite the costs.

But they cannot bring back the dozens of lives lost in Osprey crashes.

The thing is, the Pentagon has known about the hazards of the Osprey for more than ten years. The report V-22 Osprey: Wonder Weapon or Widow Maker? (2006) by Lee Gaillard of the Center for Defense Information states, “They warned us. But no one is listening.”

One of the main problems is what is called a “vortex ring state” (VRS), an aerodynamic conundrum inherent to its dual flight mode design:

We are not talking here about “glitches,” or subcomponent quality control issues, or assembly line carelessness problems. It is an aerodynamic enigma involving highly complex turbulence conditions beyond the analytic capabilities of our most advanced computational fluid dynamics simulations.

Given that the V-22’s dual-mode flight capability (as either helicopter or airplane) requires significant aerodynamic design compromises in its prop blades in an attempt to maximize their efficiency in both flight modes, the blades’ stiff, high-twist (47 degrees) design necessary for the higher speed horizontal flight mode poses severe danger when employed in rapid vertical descent situations likely to be faced in combat. This is, therefore, an essentially irreconcilable design conundrum that unfortunately cannot be ‘resolved.’ (14-15)

The report continues, citing an Operational Testing (OT) report:

As the OT-IIG report states, “When descending at a high rate with low forward speed, the rotor can become enveloped in its own downwash, which can result in a substantial loss of lift. … Should one rotor enter VRS and lose more lift than the other rotor, a sudden roll can result, which quickly couples into a[n inverted] nose-down pitch”17—i.e., an upsidedown nose-first crash. Such a maneuver at low altitude during high rate of descent into a hot landing zone would therefore result in catastrophic loss of the aircraft and all aboard.

This appears to describe what happened in videos of the crash.

The news of the crash has gone international. In Japan and Okinawa in particular, there is intense interest in the danger of the Osprey. A hundred thousand people protested against the stationing of 24 Ospreys in Okinawa. The crash in Hawaiʻi will surely rekindle the opposition.

Several years ago, when the stationing of Osprey in Hawaiʻi was first announced, there was opposition from Kanaka Maoli who did not want an ancient Hawaiian fishing village site to be destroyed by the expanded Osprey hangar, and from neighbors of the Marine Corps Base Hawaii – Kaneohe Bay who feared the noise and safety impacts of the Osprey.

This crash may spark renewed opposition to the Osprey in particular, but also to the military occupation of Hawaiian “ceded” (i.e. stolen Hawaiian Kingdom lands) in Waimānalo. In the late 1990s, the Air Force conducted a series of hearings to discuss the possible closure and transfer of the Bellows Air Force Base land that was deemed “underutilized” after the end of the Cold War. Hawaiian community members wanted that the land be returned. But the Marine Corps wanted the land for its training. And the Commander of the Pacific Command, Admiral Macke (the same person who suggested that the US Marines who raped a 12 year old Okinawan school girl in 1995 should have paid for a prostitute instead) threatened to reduce the military presence in Hawaiʻi if the military didn’t get its way. So the Marines took over most of Bellows and use it for amphibious landing training as well as Military Operations in Urban Terrain (MOUT) training in a mock Afghan village. They even hired and flew in Afghan Americans from California to play Afghan villagers.

The crash coincides with the gathering in Hawaiʻi of military leaders from around the Asia-Pacific region to discuss amphibious combat skills. It’s not clear that the Osprey flights were related to the conference.

April 6, 2015

Two workers injured by explosion in Mākua Valley

KHON reports that two grounds maintenance workers were injured in Mākua Valley when an unexploded munition exploded:

According to the U.S. Army Garrison-Hawaii’s public affairs office, two ground maintenance contractors were injured after encountering an apparent unexploded ordnance at Makua Military Reservation.

It happened at around 1:45 p.m.

An Army contracted medevac helicopter airlifted the civilians to Queen’s Medical Center.

The incident is under investigation, the army said.

March 30, 2015November 1, 2024

Navy sailor, 21 dies in fall from Pali Notches hiking trail

The Honolulu Star Advertiser reported:

A hiker who fell to his death off the Pali Notches trail on Sunday has been identified as Navy sailor Johnathan McNeeley, 21.

McNeeley, a native of Lake Wales, Fla., was assigned to the USS John Paul Jones, based at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.

January 23, 2013

What is behind the flurry of U.S. military deaths in Hawaiʻi?

Recently, U.S. soldiers died in Hawaiʻi in a series of accidents and reckless activities. Yesterday, the Honolulu Star Advertiser reported “Motorcyclist, 23, killed in H-1 crash is identified as Schofield soldier” (January 22, 2013):

A man killed in a motorcycle crash on Sunday was identified as Trevor McGurran, 23, of Wahiawa.

Military officials said McGurran was stationed at Schofield Barracks, and was a member of the 715th Military Intelligence Battalion, which is attached to the 500th Military Intelligence Brigade.

Recently, Police shot and killed another soldier who was driving recklessly in Waikiki and rammed several police cars. The Star Advertiser reported “Havoc in Waikiki ends in GI’s death” (January 16, 2013):

A Schofield Barracks soldier was shot multiple times and killed by police after he drove a large pickup truck recklessly through the streets of Waikiki early Tuesday and disregarded repeated orders by police officers to stop.

Three officers were injured when the truck rammed their vehicles. They were treated for minor injuries at a hospital and released.

The incident began just before 4 a.m. and involved two shooting scenes: on Kuhio Avenue near Nahua Street, and on Ala Wai Boulevard between Lewers and Kaiolu streets.

The Army confirmed that the driver of the dark blue Dodge truck involved in the incident was an enlisted soldier assigned to the 25th Infantry Division.

On January 12, a hiker , identified as 27-year-old Mililani resident Michael Harlan, died after falling at the Makapuʻu lighthouse trail. The Honolulu Star Advertiser reported “Fall at Makapuu Lighthouse proves fatal to hiker” (January 13, 2013):

A 27-year-old man who fell approximately 30 feet Saturday while hiking along the Makapuu Lighthouse Trail died Sunday.

The man, believed to be in the military and stationed here, climbed to an area outside the actual trail above the lighthouse on Saturday afternoon, then lost his footing and fell, according to Honolulu Fire Department spokesman Capt. James Todd.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon reported that military suicides reached a record high in 2012. The AP reported “Military Suicides Reached Record High In 2012” (January 14, 2013):

Suicides in the U.S. military surged to a record 349 last year, far exceeding American combat deaths in Afghanistan, and some private experts are predicting the dark trend will grow worse this year.

The Pentagon has struggled to deal with the suicides, which Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and others have called an epidemic. The problem reflects severe strains on military personnel burdened with more than a decade of combat in Afghanistan and Iraq, complicated by anxiety over the prospect of being forced out of a shrinking force.

Pentagon figures obtained Monday by The Associated Press show that the 349 suicides among active-duty troops last year were up from 301 the year before and exceeded the Pentagon’s own internal projection of 325.

It begs the question whether the psychological and social pressures of the wars are causing soldiers to engage in dangerous behavior. And it also suggests that the human and social costs of U.S. military policies may be much higher and persistent than can be captured in a superficial economic report.

July 17, 2012

Hickam F-22 pilot has “in-flight emergency” due to lack of oxygen

Last week Tuesday, July 10, 2012, a Hawaii Air National Guard pilot experienced oxygen deprivation while flying an F-22 Raptor, the most advanced fighter aircraft in the U.S. military arsenal.

The AP reported “Stealth Fighter Jet Flaw: Pilot Suffers Oxygen Deprivation While Flying F-22 Raptor” (July 11, 2012):

The Hawaii Air National Guard said Tuesday one of its pilots briefly experienced an oxygen deficit while flying an F-22 stealth fighter last week.

The pilot was heading back to Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam from a routine training sortie when sensors indicated he wasn’t getting as much oxygen as he should, said Lt. Col. Charles Anthony, a spokesman for the Hawaii Guard.

The pilot also felt dizzy. He activated the emergency oxygen system until his symptoms abated and the plane’s oxygen generating system returned to normal.

The Honolulu Star Advertiser reported “Hypoxia incident involves isle F-22 pilot” (July 11, 2012):

A Hawaii-based F-22 Raptor pilot declared an “in-flight emergency” Friday after experiencing momentary dizziness, as a troubling air supply problem on the costly stealth jets continues to spread, officials said.

It was the first reported case of hypoxia-like symptoms — not getting enough oxygen — experienced by a Hawaii-based pilot, said Lt. Col. Chuck Anthony, a Hawaii National Guard spokesman.

[. . .]

While the case was a first for Hawaii, it’s the latest in a string of F-22 oxygen deprivation problems that have become an embarrassment for the Air Force as it attempts to justify the Raptor, the most expensive fighter ever built.

The Air Force pegs the cost at $143 million per jet, but the total program cost is $77.4 billion, or $412 million per plane counting research and development and upgrades.

U.S. Sen. John McCain, an Arizona Republican and former combat pilot, told ABC News in May that the F-22 was designed with a Cold War mentality.

“(The F-22) has not flown a single combat mission,” McCain said. He added that he doesn’t think the F-22 will ever be involved in the combat it was designed for, “because that threat is no longer in existence.”

U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., and U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., brought the Hawaii incident to light in a joint letter delivered Tuesday to Air Force Secretary Michael Donley.

The letter said according to “information shared directly with our offices, we understand there was a hypoxia-related in-flight emergency declared by an F-22 pilot incident on July 6 at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.”

[. . .]

In addition to the Hickam emergency, the letter also noted a “restricted airflow” incident in late June involving an F-22 pilot at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va., and a May 31 mishap at Tyndall Air Force in Florida in which an F-22 reportedly hit the runway without extending its landing gear.

A July 2 story cited 36 hypoxia incidents to that point, with 21 classified as unexplained. The arrival of six remaining Raptors to Hawaii — rounding out the squadron of 20 aircraft — has been delayed.

This latest incident comes days after the New York Times published an article “Oxygen problems on F-22 elude Air Force’s fixes” (July 3, 2012) on the lingering problems plaguing the F-22s:

Capt. Jeff Haney was at 51,000 feet on a night flight above Alaska in November 2010 when the oxygen system in his F-22 Raptor fighter jet shut down, restricting his ability to breathe as he plummeted faster than the speed of sound into the tundra below. His plane burned a crater into the ice, froze 40 feet beneath the surface and was not fully recovered until the spring thaw.

Haney’s death unnerved the elite community of F-22 pilots, as did a series of episodes over the next 18 months in which an alarming number experienced symptoms of hypoxia, or oxygen deprivation. The Air Force grounded the Raptor, the jewel of its fleet, but could not find anything wrong, so it put the jet back in the air — only to have the episodes increase. In May, two seasoned pilots took the extraordinary step of telling “60 Minutes” that they refused to fly the plane.

The Air Force thought it had identified and fixed the problem — malfunctioning pressure vests and leaking narrow oxygen hoses — and went in to spin control to recuperate its image:

But last week, as Air Force officials escorted a reporter and a photographer to the Langley flight line to watch F-22s roaring on and off the runway for an ostensible good-news story, it happened again. A pilot pulled his emergency oxygen handle sometime after landing because of what the Air Force characterized as “discomfort” from intermittent air flow into the pilot’s mask during flight. The Air Force is investigating but so far has said little.

Here’s the link to the “60 Minutes” episode: “Is the Air Force’s F-22 fighter jet making pilots sick?” (May 6, 2012).

June 28, 2012

Fire in Kahuku Training Area, burning shorts and RIMPAC aircraft assault Pohakuloa

KHON reported that there was a brush fire in the Kahuku Training Area this afternoon:

The Honolulu Fire Department reported that the Kahuku Training Area fire is contained. All firefighting operations were concluded by 5:45 p.m. Army Range Control personnel will monitor the fire area overnight.

The Honolulu Fire Department reports that the Kahuku Training Area fire is 90 percent contained. The fire started shortly before 2:30 p.m. and burned approximately 3.5 acres in the Army training area. The HFD worked with the Federal Fire Department and Army Fire and reported the fire 90 percent contained as of 5 p.m.

The Honolulu Fire Department is working with the Federal Fire Department and Army Fire to contain a small wildfire in the Army’s Kahuku Training Area, approximately 1-2 miles above Kamehameha Highway. There are no reports of property damaged or threatened by this fire and no reports of injuries.

The Army is not allowed to do live fire training in Kahuku. So I wonder what the source of the fire was. The recent fire in Lualualei that burned more than 1200 acres began inside the Navy base. Sometimes, old phosphorous illumination rounds left behind from past training activity have been known to spontaneously ignite when exposed to air. This is a continuing problem in Lihu’e, where the Schofield Training Range is located.

Recently in San Onofre, CA, a woman suffered burns when her shorts burst into flames. The fire was caused by strange “rocks” picked up at the beach:

Lyn Hiner, a 43-year-old California mom, is in the hospital recovering from second- and third-degree burns after some colored rocks her family found on the beach exploded in her shorts pocket and caught fire, ABC News reports.

Hiner’s daughters found the green and orange rocks during an outing to San Onofre State Beach in southern California and gave the rocks to their mother.

When Hiner and her husband, Rob, were preparing to go out that night, the rocks erupted in her pocket, she told ABC News.

[. . .]

“There were actual flames coming off her cargo shorts,” Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Marc Stone told ABC News.

Scientists investigating the incident say the seven rocks that Hiner’s daughters brought back contained traces of phosphorus, the chemical found on the tips of matches, ABC News reports.

In 2007, a series of news stories reported that pieces of ocean-dumped munitions were washing ashore in Wai’anae and that homeless residents were stringing these into “Hawaiian Jade” to give to tourists. Could it be that incidents like this are the origin of the urban legend that bad things happen to visitors who take rocks from Hawai’i?

Meanwhile, Hawai’i island will assaulted by increased aircraft traffic and noise as RIMPAC training takes place at Pohakuloa:

The amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2) transits through the Pacific Ocean. Essex is deployed for Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise 2012, the world’s largest multinational maritime exercise, which includes 22 nations, 42 ships, six submarines, more than 200 aircraft and 25,000 personnel. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Raul Moreno Jr.)

MEDIA RELEASE

An F/A-18F Super Hornet assigned to the “Bounty Hunters” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 2 breaks to enter the landing pattern over the flight deck of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) last year. U.S. Navy photo by MC2 James R. Evans

PŌHAKULOA TRAINING AREA, Hawaii— Big Island residents will hear increased aircraft noise over Pōhakuloa Training Area due to the beginning of the Navy’s biennial Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise, the world’s largest international maritime exercise.

U.S. Navy and Air Force aircraft, as well as aircraft from some of the other 21 participating nations, will begin arriving at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam this week.

Navy fighter aircraft began training over PTA on June 24 and will continue until July 1. They will also train from July 7-9. RIMPAC is scheduled to begin officially on June 29 and conclude Aug. 3.

All noise abatement complaints can be directed to the RIMPAC Command Information Bureau at (808) 472-0239. For more information about RIMPAC, visit the exercise website at www.cpf.navy.mil/rimpac

June 14, 2012June 14, 2012

Osprey crashes, Japanese city rejects Osprey, and Marines want to bring Osprey to Hawai’i?

The Honolulu Star Advertiser reported that”Marines’ copter plan raises fear of noise” (June 12, 2012):

The public has nearly a month to weigh in on Marine Corps plans to station MV-22 tiltrotor Osprey and H-1 Cobra and Huey attack-utility helicopter squadrons at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, but any community opposition likely will boil down to a single topic, according to the secretary of the Kaneohe Neighborhood Board.

“In one word,” said Bill Sager, “it’s the noise.”

[. . .]

“Several people have expressed concerns to me,” he said.

While the Marines opened a 30-day comment period on their proposals last week, “People will have no way of evaluating the noise impact of an Osprey until they actually hear it,” Sager said.

It seems a major concern for us in Hawai’i ought to be safety. Today, an CV-22 Osprey crashed in Florida, injuring five:

An Air Force CV-22 Osprey crashed Wednesday during a routine training mission north of Navarre, Florida, injuring five crew members aboard, a military official said.

In April two U.S. troops died in an Osprey crash in Morocco. Last March, a Marine pilot died and radioactive strontium 90 was released into Kane’ohe Bay when helicopter crashed on Ahu o Laka sandbar in the bay.

Okinawans have been strongly opposing the stationing of Osprey aircraft. The city of Iwakuni on the main island of Honshu was proposed as a temporary base for the Osprey until facilities were available in Okinawa. However, Japan Today reports that “Iwakuni balks at U.S. deployment of Osprey aircraft” (June 13, 2012):

Safety concerns after a recent crash have put plans to briefly deploy the U.S. Osprey aircraft to a city in Yamaguchi Prefecture on hold, officials said Tuesday.

Opposition to the plan to temporarily base the helicopter-like planes in the city of Iwakuni has been rising since the fatal crash in April left two Marines dead in Morocco.

Japan’s defense minister said Tuesday he may go to the city of Iwakuni to persuade local officials to accept the temporary deployment. But after meeting with ministry officials on Monday Iwakuni’s mayor said he needs more assurances that the aircraft is safe.

The Marine Corps released a Final Environmental Impact Statement on its proposals on the basing and statewide training of Osprey tiltrotor and Cobra and Huey attack-utility helicopter squadrons. The 30-day comment period began Friday June 8. The proposal is to expand the Marine Corps in Hawai’i :

24 MV-22 Osprey aircraft
18 AH-1Z Viper Super Cobra helicopters
9 UH-1Y Huey helicopters
1,000 Military personnel
1,106 Family members

The Marine Corps helicopter Environmental Impact Statement can be viewed at:

www.mcbh.usmc.mil/mv22h1eis/index.html. Select the “documents” tab.

Written comments on the EIS must be postmarked or received online by July 11 to become part of the official rec ord.

Comments can be made online by selecting the “contact” tab at www.mcbh.usmc.mil/mv22h1eis/ index.html or by mail to: Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Pacific 258 Makalapa Drive, Suite 100 Pearl Harbor, HI 96860-3134 Attn: EV21, MV-22/H-1 EIS Project Manager

June 13, 2012

Kaʻala Farm a modern kīpuka in the fire

The fire that began in the Lualualei Naval Reservation and burned 1200 acres in Waiʻanae, including the traditional hale pili classroom at the Kaʻala Farm and irrigation pipes, spared the loʻi kalo. The farm is a real kīpuka, a green oasis of life amidst the charred landscape.

The Honolulu Star Advertiser reported “Seeds planted for farm’s revival” (June 13, 2012):

Kaala Farm Cultural Learning Center sits like an oasis in upper Waianae Valley bordering the Waianae Forest Reserve after last week’s wildfire spared it from heavy destruction. Only a grass hale (left of the green taro patches) and adjoining area with a composting toilet building and lau hala grove were destroyed.

Oahu’s largest brush fire this year swept through Waianae and Lualualei valleys charring almost 1,200 acres, but leaving 100 acres near the Waianae Kai Forest Reserve mostly untouched — except for a nearly 3-decade-old, 30-foot Hawaiian grass hale.

[. . .]

Enos estimated that it will cost more than $150,000 to replace the hale, built in the mid-1980s. But the real loss of a structure that has come to symbolize Hawaiian culture in a place used for teaching, cultural ceremonies and gatherings may be immeasurable.

The wildfire fire began June 4 at Radford Street and Kolekole Road on Naval Magazine Lualualei. It spread into the forest reserve. The Navy said Tuesday that it could not determine how the fire started.

PHOTO BY DAVID SMITH

As we have described before, places such as Kaʻala Farm are cultural and political kīpuka, oases in the lava flow that restore the life of the forest:

Enos described the area as being like “kipuka” — which he described as the area that is spared during a lava flow. “It’s like when the lava goes around an old forest area, sparing it. It’s a sanctuary because that’s where seeds come.

“We’ve become a kipuka — for us now is the time for regrowth and restoration — bringing people together, so the culture of the land survives.”

He said that it will take upward of $150,000 to rebuild the hale, which was styled after a canoe hale found in the City of Refuge in Kona.

Ohia logs will have to be cut and brought in from Hawaii island, Enos added.

However, he said the rebuilding of the hale will be used as a workshop for the Waianae community.

“We hope to use the opportunity to bring the community together. It is important to have a place of refuge to talk about the land, water and self-sufficiency.”

Kaala Farm was established as a Model Cities Waianae Rap Center in 1976, and organizers purchased the Waianae Valley land from the state. More than 4,000 students and 2,500 adults participate in its educational programs annually, according to its organizers.

[. . .]

Anyone interested in making a donation to Kaala Farm — including financial and/or materials/supplies contributions, should contact Kaala Farm at 696-4954 or kokuakaala@gmail.com. Donations are also being accepted via check at any First Hawaiian Bank location c/o “Friends of Kaala Farms Cultural Learning Center.”

There are still unanswered questions about the origin of the fire, the explosions that many Lualualei residents saw and heard during the fire, the disaster safety plan for ordnance accidents, or the slow fire response from the Navy. This also raises questions about what kinds of munitions are being stored in Lualualei and when and how the Navy will leave Lualualei. The naval magazine has been all but inactive when most of the munitions were moved to the West Loch branch near the Pearl Harbor Naval Station. Long ago, he navy tapped the source of Pūhāwai stream and diverted the water to the base, leaving ancient loʻi kalo dry. If those areas had been in cultivation, like at Kaʻala Farm, the fire would not have been able to spread into some of the areas where it did.

Around ten years ago, when the base was originally slated for possible closure (prior to 9/11 build up madness), a group of us led by Vince Dodge hiked in to inspect different sites. We hiked to the source of the Pūhāwai stream and saw the dry loʻi beds as well as the massive pipe that diverted millions of gallons of water from the natural stream flow. Since the naval base was underutilized even then, the water was spilling out of the overflow valve onto pavement. It was not even placed back into the stream a few yards away.

When we inspected the stream beds we saw that there were traces of water percolating up but not enough to flow. The dream then as now is to restore the sites to productivity.

But whose vision will drive the conversion of Lualualei valley from military to civilian use? Will it be the developers who wish to create industrial parks, subdivisions and highways in agricultural lands, including a new tunnel and road through Pōhākea pass? Will it be the Navy planners who have gotten into the real estate business by “disposing” of excess military land on the real estate market through sale or lease for profit? Or will it be the residents and traditional practitioners of Waiʻanae who wish to restore ancient wisdom of land stewardship and sustainable practices? That chapter is yet to be written.

June 6, 2012

Wildfire that began in Lualualei naval base burns for third day, damage to cultural center and explosions reported

The wildfire in Waiʻanae continues to burn. The Honolulu Star Advertiser reports:

Fire crews were busy in Waianae Valley this morning as Oahu’s largest wildfire of the year burned for a third day.

At least one Marine Corps CH-53 helicopter was to rejoin the Honolulu Fire Department’s air operations this morning, the Navy said.

Nine people took refugee in a Red Cross Shelter at Waianae District Park Tuesday night.

The flames are burning on two fronts — along the back of Waianae Valley into the forest reserve and another on the side of the ridge closer to Waianae Valley Road.

Firefighters were responding to brush fire calls on both sides of Waianae Valley. One flare-up was reported near Kamaile street on the Makaha side of the valley, a valley resident said.

Since Monday, the blaze has destroyed nearly 1,200 acres of brush in both Waianae and Lualualei Valleys.

According to the paper, “the fire began on government property near the Lualualei Naval Magazine at 1 p.m. Monday.”

It spread to the neighboring Waiʻanae valley and destroyed the traditional hale pili (thatched structure) at the Learning Center at Kaʻala, one of our partners in the Waiʻanae Environmental Justice Working Group:

Butch DeTroy, manager of the Kaala Farms Cultural Learning Center on Waianae Valley Road, said the wildfire destroyed an A-frame grass hale Tuesday that had been used as a classroom for up to 60 students.

The fire also destroyed half of a two-mile pipeline that supplies water to Kaala Farms taro fields on its 98-acre property.

DeTroy said he was forced to leave area Tuesday morning before the fire swept through his property.

Firefighters were able to save a kitchen facility, but the grass hale, which was 30 feet high, was destroyed.

DeTroy said a stream that borders the Waianae Kai Forest Reserve probably prevented the fire from creeping down the moutain into the nature preserve — home to native koa, sandalwood and aalii.

But the newspaper failed to report on the explosions. Gary Forth of MAʻO organic farm and environmental activist Carroll Cox reported witnessing explosions on the Lualualei Naval Base. Lucy Gay of the Leeward Community College Waiʻanae extension wanted to know, where is the Navyʻs disaster plan for such dangerous materials? And if there are disaster safety plans, why wasn’t the community apprised of them?

May 14, 2012

Searching for answers and accountability in recent military aircraft crashes

In April 9, 2010, an Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft crashed in Afghanistan killing four people.

Almost two years to the day after the crash in Afghanistan, the AP reported “Two U.S. troops die in helicopter crash in Morocco” (April 11, 2012):

Two U.S. Marines were killed and two severely injured in the crash of a hybrid aircraft in Morocco on Wednesday, officials said.

The Marines were taking part in joint U.S.-Moroccan military excercises located in the south of the country based in Agadir, said U.S. Embassy spokesman Rodney Ford in Rabat, who gave the toll.

[…]

The aircraft was participating in a U.S.-Moroccan military exercise known as “African Lion.”

[…]

The MV-22, a joint venture of Boeing Co. and Textron Inc.’s Bell Helicopter, is designed to carry 24 combat troops and fly twice as fast as the Vietnam War-era assault helicopters it was to replace.

The Osprey program was nearly scrapped after a history of mechanical failures and two test crashes that killed 23 Marines in 2000. But development continued, and the aircraft have been deployed to Iraq.

While the General Accounting Office questioned the Osprey’s performance in a report last year, the Marine Corps has called it effective.

An Air Force version of the aircraft crashed in Afghanistan in April 2010, killing three service members and one civilian contractor.

The Osprey has been the subject of intense controversy with critics pointing to the exorbitant cost and accident rate, and proponents citing the utility of the aircraft. The Marines have been able to keep the program alive through the rough and tumble budget wars in Washington. The Marines now propose to bring a fleet of Osprey to the Marine Corps Base Hawaii Kaneohe Bay and to Takae in Okinawa.

Meanwhile, ABC News reported that the widow of a F-22 Raptor pilot who died in a crash in Alaska is suing the manufacturer for a faulty design that led to the crash, “F-22 Crash Widow Sues Lockheed Martin for Wrongful Death” (March 13, 2012):

The widow of the F-22 Raptor pilot who died after a malfunction in his jet cut off his oxygen system during a training mission in Alaska is suing the F-22 manufacturer, Lockheed Martin, and other major defense contracting companies for wrongful death, negligence and fraud.

Anna Haney, wife of the late Capt. Jeff Haney, filed a complaint in an Illinois court Monday alleging Lockheed knowingly sold the U.S. Air Force “dangerous and defective” planes that did not provide life support systems “that would allow our pilots to survive even routine training missions, such as the one that killed” Haney, according to a report by the Courthouse News Service.

In addition to Lockheed Martin, the suit names other major defense contractors such as Boeing, Honeywell International and Pratt and Whitney — all involved in various aspects of the F-22’s systems — as defendants. The complaint also alleges that the U.S. Air Force has awarded Lockheed Martin millions of dollars on a new contract to investigate and solve ongoing problems with the planes’ life support systems.

[…]

Capt. Jeff Haney was killed in November 2010 when, after completing a training mission over the Alaskan wilderness, a malfunction in his $143 million plane caused his oxygen system to shut off completely, causing him to experience “a sense similar to suffocation,” according to the Air Force’s investigative report into the incident. Haney’s plane entered a sharp dive and, seconds later, crashed, spreading debris more than a quarter mile.

After more than a year-long investigation into the crash, the Air Force concluded that he was at fault for crashing the plane.

“The [investigation] board president found, by clear and convincing evidence, the cause of the mishap was the [pilot’s] failure to recognize and initiate a timely dive recovery due to channelized attention, breakdown of visual scan, and unrecognized spatial disorientation,” the December 2011 report said, essentially saying Haney was too distracted by the lack of oxygen to fly the plane properly. The report also noted other contributing factors in the crash but said it was still a mystery as to what caused the original malfunction.

In November 2010, the Anchorage Daily News reported “Airforce pilot dies in F22 crash” (November 20, 2010):

The pilot of an F-22 Raptor fighter jet that went down Tuesday during a training flight over Interior Alaska died in the crash, Col. Jack McMullen, commander of the Air Force’s 3rd Wing, said Friday.

[…]

F-22 emergencies

According to the Air Force, there have been four emergency incidents with the Raptor or its prototypes, including three crashes, one of which was fatal.

• March 2009: An F-22 on a test flight crashed about 35 miles northeast of Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. The crash killed the pilot, a contractor for Lockheed Martin and a 21-years Air Force veteran. “Human factors associated with high gravitational forces,” caused the crash, according to an accident investigation report.

• September 2007: Loaded with eight small-diameter bombs, an F-22 suffered a brief flameout of both of its engines while conducting a midair roll. Investigators blamed an incorrect trim setting. As a result of the power loss, air traffic controllers briefly lost telemetry signals from the jet.

• December 2004: An F-22 lost electrical power shortly after taking off from Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada. The test pilot, a lieutenant colonel, survived after ejecting just before the jet flipped and skidded across the desert floor. The Air Force ceased F-22 flight operations for 18 days following the crash.

• April 1992: A prototype to the F-22, the YF-22, slammed into an Edwards Air Force Base runway, because of a low approach taken by the test pilot, who ejected safely.