October 21, 2008 (by Lieven Dewitte) - A US Air force F-16 dropped a BDU-33 dummy bomb near the strip in Las Vegas, hitting a truck.
FAC reported an ACORN campaign bus was in the area.....
The 22 pound bomb fell from an F-16 flying over Nellis AFB at 11.30h on wednesday morning. Somehow the device got detached from the launching mechanism after which it fell 1,700 feet.
This has been known to happen when bombs become detached....
It first hit the tarmac near a mobility warehouse at the base itself before it bounced over a fence and penetrated the front of a civilian truck. The driver of the truck escaped with nothing more than a bad fright.
....followed by soiled underwear, foul language, and, shortly, a new truck.
A Spokesperson for the Air Force did not know how the bomb became unattached, nor did they know whether pilot error was involved.
"Actually, our guy made a terrible mistake, he thought it was car-load of reporters."
"We take this incident very seriously. The safety of our airmen and our neighbors here is of the utmost concern to us and we're very, very thankful no one was injured," Brig. Gen. Russell J. Handy, the 57th Wing commander, said.
Soon-to-be Colonel Handy if he doesn't have a really good explanation.
The BDU-33 training bomb is used to simulate air-to-ground weapons and does not contain explosives. The device has a small smoke charge used to mark the impact point.
Investigators said the incident was probably not due to negligence on the part of the pilot, but was more likely the result of malfunctioning bomb racks or incorrect installation of the bombs.
Base personnel have been alerted to be aware of a similar hazard, rolling heads, during the next few weeks.
The pilot can probably have a truck kill marking painted on his jet now.
They have kill-markings for everything now: planes and choppers, of course, but also trucks, tanks, camels, buildings, missile launchers, guns, etc. There's a new one I haven't figured out yet, though; a typewriter superimposed on a whisky bottle. Whatever could this represent?
It is not uncommon for practice bombs to fall off Air Force jets. In March for example, a BDU-33 fell from an F-16 over Tulsa, Okla., striking an apartment building.
Imagine the truck driver's initial report to his insurance company:
"You were bombed by an F-16? Sure. What were you doing? Giving Osama a lift? You're out of luck, we don't cover acts of war."
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