Long time readers of these pages may recollect that their host’s naval career was nearly cut short, very early on. Which it had something to do with carrying live air-to-air ordnance while practicing spar-bombing with blue death, the name we used to classify inert, or practice air-to-ground ordnance. The thinking at the time being that having shot down your commanding officer during your second or third hop in the fleet might have fatal consequences to one’s career prospects.
It turns out that I needn’t have worried:
When Lt. j.g. Timothy W. Dorsey fired his fighter jet’s missile at an Air Force reconnaissance plane, nearly killing its two aviators and destroying the aircraft during a training exercise, it was hard to imagine then how his Navy career would wind up 25 years later.
The official investigation into the 1987 shoot-down said the F-14 pilot’s decision “raises substantial doubt as to his capacity for good, sound judgment.” The Navy banned him from flying its aircraft.
Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta this month announced to the Senate several nominations for promotion to admiral.
On the list is Navy Reserve Capt. Timothy W. Dorsey, the same man who, while assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga, committed what the report said was an “illogical act.”
Capt. Dorsey today is the inspector general for Navy Reserve Detachment 106 in Norfolk, Va.
His promotion to admiral has some in the aviation community shaking their heads, especially because minor discretions (sic) by flight officers over the past decades have resulted in reprimands and the ends of careers.
This is not without precedent, of course. Chester Nimitz grounded his first command on a mud bank in the Philippines and was court martialed for it, but later did quite well for himself. Although that was quite a long time ago, in Navy years. Things have changed.
Perhaps I should have shot old Biter down, and then transitioned to the IG corps. We’ve had a good recent look at their quality of work, and it can’t be all that hard to excel.
Incredible. I was just reading through the Times article on this, then fished around and found a write up on the incident at http://www.fighterpilotuniversity.com/alumni-house/alumni-news/usn-downs-usaf/ There’s a great comment by an AE who was present at the event.
I am speechless. I tried to write a comment that would express just how disturbing I found the original story, but it was turning into an incoherent rant. That he remained in the Navy after that is simply appalling! I find myself actually more upset at whoever in his chain of command made the decision NOT to court martial Dorsey at the time. I have to stop now.
ISTR the investigation pointing to something other than pilot error. That the pilot did what he was told to do, and the master arm switch (or something equivalent) was improperly set.
I also STR that he was the son of a current flag officer when the incident occurred. We black shoe guys just looked at each other and shrugged. We didn’t know if pre-flighting the plane properly was the issue, a checklist oops, or a CYA explanation.
Let’s look on the bright side. Few serving Naval Aviators have any air-to-air shootdowns recorded. He had 1/5 of a black ace going, and it was against the US Navy’s most feared budget enemy, the USAF.
Hey Now!
Nothing personal VX. We love you and your buddies that aim high.
It’s just we all know the AF has the best budget warriors, and the best air bases. It’s business at a level where the Navy is out-competed, and has been for decades.
Wasn’t one of the guys in the Zoomie AC shot down over ‘nam?
Didja ever see that pic of LeMay with Binocs on an carrier bridge? Satan himself went to visit the Navy.
Further evidence that the Navy has lost sight of its core competencies. No matter how good a lawyer he is, his selection first as an IG, and then as a Flag, reveals either a glaring loss of perspective in the selection process, or an incredibly powerful political interference in the process. Either way it smells bad.
“F-UP and Move UP” Old as the hills…at least in the armed services..,UNTIL, of course, the semi-solid stuff hits the oscillating metal flanges..
We’re in the Best Of Hands…
Lex’s “almost” was the result of an honest mistake.
This clown? “The Navy LTJG, when asked later by the accident investigation board, said, yes, indeed, he intended to shoot a live missile. He was not court-martialed but put on non-flying duties and never flew again.”
And, apparently, his father, an active-duty Admiral at the time of this incident, shot down his wingman in Viet Nam.
Like father, like son…
I’m more worried that his next posting is in Intelligence. Um.
Reminds me of one USFS/BLM/OAS Klown who was working on
being an Ace-problem was he was flying each of the
Aircraft he destroyed.
Memorable- he put a Soloy turboprop conversion Cessna 206
in reverse before the aircraft touched down. That was just one. BTW hard to do unless actively deliberate..
He retired as a OAS adminstrator in DC..
What contemptible scum bags.
“Oops….SOREE!”
Politics, simply politics. All too prevalent in the Reserves of each of the services. Kiss a**, politic, get yourself in the good ‘ol boy’s clique and you can screw up all you want and be protected from any retribution. Makes me sick.
Just so we’re clear now, here are the rules in the Navy:
Commit “sexual harassment” in your squadron? You’re done
Shoot down a USAF fast mover? Welcome to the flag ranks! Pin on those stars!
Hard to believe the Navy has a short memory on this event. I give the guy credit for continuing to serve in some capacity. But for the promotion board to completely over look the revocation of flight status for poor judgement is, well, poor judgement.
This tard’s flying prowess makes John McPain look like Charles Friggin’ Lindberg. Poli-tricks as usual!
This is ridiculous. You’re supposed to be screened for promotions, you’re supposed to have an enhanced process in place to screen you for an IG job, it’s a nominative position. This is telling me that NO WHERE in his file is a negative piece of paper over this incident? There isn’t a Letter of Reprimand? What about a bill from the AF for the cost of the plane?
Did they not look at his records? Isn’t there a big red, sad face stamped on his file?
I’m all for second chances, but not if you shoot down a freaking plane with a live missile. I know a 4 star general who sank his tank when he was a 2LT (drove it the wrong way off a ribbon bridge), but he didn’t fire on friendlies during a training exercise. Tank was recovered and he had to put time in at the motor pool to help make it right again.
Maybe he went on and cleaned his life up and became a hard charger in another career path, but if so, that is not apparent from this story.
Meanwhile, we have a young Marine LT on the chopping block for shooting a tractor the enemy was using? This stinks like a dead fish of undue command influence.
Maybe the next newspaper story should be just what goes on in a promotion board?