Narrative:

The flight was scheduled as a target tow mission for a live fire exercise for a military warship. The plan was to extend a towed target on 21500 ft of cable from a tow reel suspended beneath the wing of the lear jet. Start, taxi, takeoff to the warning area were all normal. The initial task consisted of presenting the target for the ship to fire its 5 inch guns so the target was 'streamed' to 21500 ft. All control system worked normally during the initial phases of the operation of the MTR-101 (tow reel). Following the firing practice of the large caliber guns, the length of cable is normally shortened to 13000 ft to allow the close-in weapons system (ciws) onboard the ship to fire at the target. The MTR-101 did not respond to control inputs made by the tow operator. The aircrew coordinated with warship and the firing exercise was accomplished with the target extended to 21500 ft. After several runs, the ship's ciws gun system shot the target off. The aircraft commander directed that the remaining cable be reeled onto the tow reel. The MTR-101 would not respond to the commands directed by the tow operator. The aircraft commander then directed the cable be cut while the aircraft was within the restr area. The tow operator activated the 'cut' command using both primary and secondary system. The tow operator concluded that the cable had been cut. A short time later the tow operator notified the captain that he was not sure if the cable was cut or not. The aircrew could not determine if cable was still attached to the aircraft. Other aircraft were not in the area to verify the status of the cable. The aircraft commander elected to proceed to military station (NAS) ZZZ and have the tower operators visually determine if the cable was still attached to the aircraft. On the first low approach tower personnel stated that they did not see any cable but did see the tow reel. The captain was not confident that the cable was gone so a second low approach was made. During the second approach a person from base operations (on the ground using binoculars) was able to confirm the cable was attached. The aircrew felt a tug during this second approach which they thought was the cable contacting something on the ground. The aircraft commander directed that an 'emergency' be declared and stated his intentions to land the aircraft. The decision was elected because there is 12000 ft of runway at NAS ZZZ and personnel are much more familiar with these types of missions than any other facility in the local area. The aircraft commander flew a very high approach to the runway, flying a steep approach and landing to runway 23L. The aircraft landed safely. Upon shutdown, it was determined that cable was still attached to the tow reel. Airfield technicians cut the cable while the aircraft was still on the runway and the aircraft taxied into operations. The installation commander released the aircraft and the aircrew returned the aircraft to ZZZ1. After inspection it was found that all electrical power to the tow reel was lost during flight possibly caused by a loose connection. The director of operations, chief pilot, and chief operations officer and safety director were notified of the incident in a timely manner. NAS ZZZ base operations and the command duty officer were contacted on apr/sat/03 to determine what resulted from the landing at NAS ZZZ. They stated that additional cable was recovered by military personnel in the vicinity of ZZZ2 and ZZZ3 boulevard in ZZZ4. All applicable emergency and normal checklist procedures were followed. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated that after the large guns finished we attempted to shorten the cable to 13000 ft for close in weapons system firing but the tow reel failed. The reporter said the ship then fired at the long 21500 ft cable towed target which was shot off. The reporter stated the cable was .125 inches and was plastic covered and required 1 min per 1000 ft to reel up or deploy. The reporter said the failure of the motor reel was a faulty electrical connector. The reporter stated no injuries were incurred and no damage to the airplane or ground facilities.

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A LEAR 36A ON A LIVE FIRE TARGET MISSION WAS TOWING THE TARGET WITH 21500 FT OF CABLE. AT END OF MISSION TOW REEL FAILED WITH 13000 FT OF CABLE TRAILING.

Narrative: THE FLT WAS SCHEDULED AS A TARGET TOW MISSION FOR A LIVE FIRE EXERCISE FOR A MIL WARSHIP. THE PLAN WAS TO EXTEND A TOWED TARGET ON 21500 FT OF CABLE FROM A TOW REEL SUSPENDED BENEATH THE WING OF THE LEAR JET. START, TAXI, TKOF TO THE WARNING AREA WERE ALL NORMAL. THE INITIAL TASK CONSISTED OF PRESENTING THE TARGET FOR THE SHIP TO FIRE ITS 5 INCH GUNS SO THE TARGET WAS 'STREAMED' TO 21500 FT. ALL CTL SYS WORKED NORMALLY DURING THE INITIAL PHASES OF THE OP OF THE MTR-101 (TOW REEL). FOLLOWING THE FIRING PRACTICE OF THE LARGE CALIBER GUNS, THE LENGTH OF CABLE IS NORMALLY SHORTENED TO 13000 FT TO ALLOW THE CLOSE-IN WEAPONS SYS (CIWS) ONBOARD THE SHIP TO FIRE AT THE TARGET. THE MTR-101 DID NOT RESPOND TO CTL INPUTS MADE BY THE TOW OPERATOR. THE AIRCREW COORDINATED WITH WARSHIP AND THE FIRING EXERCISE WAS ACCOMPLISHED WITH THE TARGET EXTENDED TO 21500 FT. AFTER SEVERAL RUNS, THE SHIP'S CIWS GUN SYS SHOT THE TARGET OFF. THE ACFT COMMANDER DIRECTED THAT THE REMAINING CABLE BE REELED ONTO THE TOW REEL. THE MTR-101 WOULD NOT RESPOND TO THE COMMANDS DIRECTED BY THE TOW OPERATOR. THE ACFT COMMANDER THEN DIRECTED THE CABLE BE CUT WHILE THE ACFT WAS WITHIN THE RESTR AREA. THE TOW OPERATOR ACTIVATED THE 'CUT' COMMAND USING BOTH PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SYS. THE TOW OPERATOR CONCLUDED THAT THE CABLE HAD BEEN CUT. A SHORT TIME LATER THE TOW OPERATOR NOTIFIED THE CAPT THAT HE WAS NOT SURE IF THE CABLE WAS CUT OR NOT. THE AIRCREW COULD NOT DETERMINE IF CABLE WAS STILL ATTACHED TO THE ACFT. OTHER ACFT WERE NOT IN THE AREA TO VERIFY THE STATUS OF THE CABLE. THE ACFT COMMANDER ELECTED TO PROCEED TO MIL STATION (NAS) ZZZ AND HAVE THE TWR OPERATORS VISUALLY DETERMINE IF THE CABLE WAS STILL ATTACHED TO THE ACFT. ON THE FIRST LOW APCH TWR PERSONNEL STATED THAT THEY DID NOT SEE ANY CABLE BUT DID SEE THE TOW REEL. THE CAPT WAS NOT CONFIDENT THAT THE CABLE WAS GONE SO A SECOND LOW APCH WAS MADE. DURING THE SECOND APCH A PERSON FROM BASE OPS (ON THE GND USING BINOCULARS) WAS ABLE TO CONFIRM THE CABLE WAS ATTACHED. THE AIRCREW FELT A TUG DURING THIS SECOND APCH WHICH THEY THOUGHT WAS THE CABLE CONTACTING SOMETHING ON THE GND. THE ACFT COMMANDER DIRECTED THAT AN 'EMER' BE DECLARED AND STATED HIS INTENTIONS TO LAND THE ACFT. THE DECISION WAS ELECTED BECAUSE THERE IS 12000 FT OF RWY AT NAS ZZZ AND PERSONNEL ARE MUCH MORE FAMILIAR WITH THESE TYPES OF MISSIONS THAN ANY OTHER FACILITY IN THE LCL AREA. THE ACFT COMMANDER FLEW A VERY HIGH APCH TO THE RWY, FLYING A STEEP APCH AND LNDG TO RWY 23L. THE ACFT LANDED SAFELY. UPON SHUTDOWN, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT CABLE WAS STILL ATTACHED TO THE TOW REEL. AIRFIELD TECHNICIANS CUT THE CABLE WHILE THE ACFT WAS STILL ON THE RWY AND THE ACFT TAXIED INTO OPS. THE INSTALLATION COMMANDER RELEASED THE ACFT AND THE AIRCREW RETURNED THE ACFT TO ZZZ1. AFTER INSPECTION IT WAS FOUND THAT ALL ELECTRICAL PWR TO THE TOW REEL WAS LOST DURING FLT POSSIBLY CAUSED BY A LOOSE CONNECTION. THE DIRECTOR OF OPS, CHIEF PLT, AND CHIEF OPS OFFICER AND SAFETY DIRECTOR WERE NOTIFIED OF THE INCIDENT IN A TIMELY MANNER. NAS ZZZ BASE OPS AND THE COMMAND DUTY OFFICER WERE CONTACTED ON APR/SAT/03 TO DETERMINE WHAT RESULTED FROM THE LNDG AT NAS ZZZ. THEY STATED THAT ADDITIONAL CABLE WAS RECOVERED BY MIL PERSONNEL IN THE VICINITY OF ZZZ2 AND ZZZ3 BOULEVARD IN ZZZ4. ALL APPLICABLE EMER AND NORMAL CHKLIST PROCS WERE FOLLOWED. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THAT AFTER THE LARGE GUNS FINISHED WE ATTEMPTED TO SHORTEN THE CABLE TO 13000 FT FOR CLOSE IN WEAPONS SYS FIRING BUT THE TOW REEL FAILED. THE RPTR SAID THE SHIP THEN FIRED AT THE LONG 21500 FT CABLE TOWED TARGET WHICH WAS SHOT OFF. THE RPTR STATED THE CABLE WAS .125 INCHES AND WAS PLASTIC COVERED AND REQUIRED 1 MIN PER 1000 FT TO REEL UP OR DEPLOY. THE RPTR SAID THE FAILURE OF THE MOTOR REEL WAS A FAULTY ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR. THE RPTR STATED NO INJURIES WERE INCURRED AND NO DAMAGE TO THE AIRPLANE OR GND FACILITIES.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.