Don Paul Email
Date: Sun, 26 Jan 1997
Hi Ted:I was in the armament section of the 154th F/B squadron. At K2 our armament shack, which was a Gunite building probably 20ft by 50ft, was right on the taxi way across from where they parked the F84's.
The taxi way, which was made of PSP (perforated steel planking) was as I recall about 50 ft wide. That PSP was about 1/8in thick and fairly sturdy. One day there were about 10 or 15 of us in the shack, the aircraft were probably out on a mission, when we heard this horrible WHOOSH!
Everyone hit the concrete deck. After about 15 seconds we decided to investigate, so we poured out the door and onto the taxi way.
Right across from us, underneath an F84, lay an armorer being attended to by a buddy. These guys were not from our squadron. Shortly thereafter a meat wagon slid to a stop, loaded this guy onboard, and headed for the base hospital.
We talked to the buddy and found out they were checking the continuity of the 5in rockets hung on this F84 when all of a sudden the one they were checking ignited. The tail fin must have caught the guy that was hurt which caused the rocket to pitch down. This is what saved us in the armament shack.
Now comes the amazing part. When that rocket pitched down it hit the PSP and punched a hole in it, without going off!! Apparently the nose fuse was still unarmed and the tail fuse did not arm because the rocket had not accelerated enough to cause it to arm.
Anyhow, the rocket traveled about 30ft UNDERGROUND before it came up and punched an exit hole in the PSP and then flew right over our shack and out somewhere toward the ammo dump! It never exploded. If that rocket wouldn't have hit that guy we probably would have all been dead! I shiver now just to think of it.
Don.
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