As for the landing, all landings are interesting, and never routine. Wind, weight, and traffic, are just a few of the various factors that must be factored in establishing a sucessful approach and flare. I am land based, and still instructing at the peon level (albeit with over 900 hours of instruction given and over 2000 landings). To make a carrier landing look “routine” is a merit to the pilot, who is dealing with a moving, heaving, rocking landing strip… and a controlled crash at the end. Notice the engines spooling up just before catching the wire… that is so s/he can botler if the wire was missed… and you have to anticipate that for the time to thrust inherient with a jet comapared to props.

Secondly, mixed signals from the Landing Signalman Enlisted (LSE) did not cause the pilot to land too close to the deck edge safety nets. That was pilot error. Also, whether or not the LSE waved off the pilot has no bearing on the failure of the pilot to assure proper clearance of the aircraft before taking off. Due to the improper and unsafe landing position, the landing gear was too close to the safety nets. Proper procedure is for the pilot to rise vertically off the deck before moving horizontally. The pilot began to take off and at the same time move away from the deck causing the main landing gear to snag the safety net, a “hot dog maneuver” gone bad.

Pure and simple, pilot error, but as happens more often than not, officers have a tendency to blame the enlisted for their mistakes… spread the wealth as it were.