Plane Hits Rogue Wave As It Takes Off!
The common explanation used by Navy pilots about landing on an Aircraft Carrier is that it the equivalent to “landing a aircraft on a postage stamp” pitching and rolling while floating in the vast ocean.
The terminology “Pitching Deck” is pretty self explanatory and it signifies the landing deck pitching with the waves and is one of the most dangerous landing operations in the entire service. Taking off in such conditions is equally dangerous as you are about to see. This is a video of a Northrop Grumman S-2 Tracker being launched off the deck of the USS Ticonderoga in 1971. Used for Anti Submarine Warfare (ASW) this aircraft has a mostly reconnaissance role during the cold war, and on this day it almost ended its flight in seconds. As soon as he leaves the deck a rogue wave slams into him giving the crew the scare of their lifetime. The engine coughed up the water that hit him and then continued to gain altitude keeping the crew wet and happy with just an unexpected shower being the worst of the consequences.
