Information on aircraft gives the type, and if available, the serial number of the operator in italics, the constructors number, also known as the manufacturer's serial number (c/n), exterior codes in apostrophes, nicknames (if any) in quotation marks, flight callsign in italics, and operating units.
31 January
Lockheed U-2C,
56-6714, Article 381, 21st airframe of first USAF order, delivered August 1957, to 4080th SRW, Laughlin AFB, Texas, as a 'hard nose' sampling aircraft; transferred to the Central Intelligence Agency and converted to U-2G in mid-1965; transferred to Strategic Air Command; flyable storage at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona, 1969. Returned to U-2C configuration for Advanced Location and Strike System (ALSS) project, 1972; damaged 2 May 1974 on landing at Davis-Monthan AFB, repaired. Written off after crash on 31 January 1980, Capt. Edward Beaumont surviving. Pilot suffered catatonic seizure, and, amazingly, descended to make uncontrolled landing in cow pasture near Oroville, California, even clipping power lines just before touchdown. Cessna T-37 Tweet trainer, flying locally, had rendezvoused with U-2 and two crew could see pilot unconscious in the cockpit. After landing, pilot revived sufficiently to shut down engine, but then, as he climbed out of the aircraft, accidentally caught the D ring of his ejection seat, which he had not safed, which fired, tossing him in a somersault, but suffered only a chipped tooth. Airframe repaired for display at 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing headquarters, Beale AFB, California. Pilot removed from U-2 program on medical grounds.
19 February
Two crew are killed in the fiery crash of a McDonnell CF-101B Voodoo,
101055, c/n 602, ( originally F-101B-100-MC,
57-0424; to CAF on 8 July 1971) on runway 25 at Ottawa International Airport, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Capt. Pilot Robert Abbott, 29, of Ottawa, and his navigator, Capt. Albert Oostenbrug, 33, of Stratford, Ontario, were posted at CFB Chatham, New Brunswick, with No. 416 Squadron RCAF. A military spokesman said that the aircraft came in sharply and it appeared that the pilot may have initially misjudged his landing, and applied power at the last second to overshoot and circle for a second attempt. However, witnesses said the aircraft touched down hard and bounced high, then it seemed to stall and rolled over on its side and came down steeply, nose first. The aircraft started to break up as it hit the ground and then exploded in flames. This was the 20th CF-101 crash since they entered Canadian service in 1961, resulting in 16 fatalities.
24 April
A contingent of American military aircraft embark on a commando raid to rescue a group of American hostages held by Iran. An unexpected sandstorm forces 2 USMC Sikorsky RH-53D Sea Stallion helicopters to divert before reaching the first rendezvous point in the Great Salt Desert of Eastern Iran, near Tabas, and causes serious mechanical damage to a third, prompting commanders to abort the mission. While attempting to evacuate personnel and equipment that had already arrived at the rendezvous point, the pilot of another Sea Stallion, BuNo
158761, due to loss of visual references while hovering in a dustcloud collides with a USAF Lockheed EC-130E Hercules,
62-1809, c/n 3770, of the 7th ACCS, killing five USAF aircrew aboard the C-130, and three USMC aircrew in the RH-53, shrapnel from the collision damaging other helicopters. Five other RH-53Ds had to be abandoned at the site after the raid force commander (Col Charles Beckwith) ordered all participants to get on board the remaining C-130s or be left behind, despite classified documents that the helicopter crews were attempting to destroy. These were BuNos.
158686,
158744,
158750,
158753 and
158758. At least one airframe was assembled from the abandoned helicopters, to join six RH-53Ds supplied by the United States to the Iranian Navy in 1978.
24 April
Lockheed U-2R,
68-10333, Article 055, fifth airframe of the first R-model order, first flown 8 May 1968, registered N812X, delivered to the CIA on 28 May 1968. To 100th SRW, mid-1974, to 9th SRW, 1976. Damaged at Akrotiri, Cyprus, this date. Repaired.
July
First prototype Rockwell HiMAT (highly manoeverable advanced technology) remotely piloted research vehicle (RPV) is damaged on its fifth flight when the landing skids break away during touchdown on the dry lakebed at Edwards AFB, California. Repairs are made and flight testing resumes 28 October 1980.
4 July
A seven-year-old boy is killed and several others are injured when he manages to fire an ejection seat in Lockheed S-3A Viking, BuNo
159769, c/n 394A-1098, of VS-24, at NAS Willow Grove, Pennsylvania during an open house.
18 or 19 July
The wreckage of a Libyan People's Air Force (Arabic:
القوات الجوية الليبية) MiG-23MS is discovered crashed on the northern side of the 6,328ft (1,929m) Sila Mountains in Castelsilano, Calabria, southern Italy. The decomposed body of Libyan pilot Ezedin Koal was still strapped to the ejection seat, his identity revealed by the name imprinted on his helmet. Connection with the loss of Aerolinee Itavia Flight 870 while en route from Bologna to Palermo, off the island of Ustica on 27 June 1980 has been speculated. The pilot’s body was repatriated to Libya after having been buried for a time in Italy.
8 September
Oleg Grigoriyevich Kononenko, 42, a civilian test pilot selected for cosmonaut training in June 1980, to become a pilot for the Buran space shuttle, is KWF in the crash of a Yakovlev Yak-38A during take-off from the aircraft carrier
Minsk in the South China Sea.
18-19 September
While performing routine maintenance in LGM-25C Titan II silo 374-7 at Damascus, Arkansas, a repairman dropped a heavy socket wrench, which rolled off of a work platform, bounced, and struck the missile,
62-0006, holing a pressurized fuel tank. The launch complex was evacuated and a specialist team of the 308th Strategic Missile Wing called in from Little Rock Air Force Base. Approximately 8½ hours after the initial puncture, fuel vapours exploded, fatally injuring one team member, Senior Airman David Livingston, and injuring 21 others. The missile re-entry vehicle, which contained a W-53 nuclear warhead, was recovered intact. There was no radioactive contamination. "Six Air Force servicemen—Livingston (posthumously), Kennedy, Hukle, Devlin, Don Green, and Jimmy Roberts—were awarded Airman’s Medals for Heroism for their actions on September 19, 1980, and the Titan II maintenance structure at Little Rock Air Force Base was later designated the Livingston Building in honor of Livingston."
5 October
Lockheed U-2R,
68-10340, Article 062, last of twelve R-model airframes in initial order, allocated N820X, first flown 26 November 1968, delivered to 100th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing 19 December 1968. To 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing 1976. Crashes in Korea this date, pilot Capt. Cleve Wallace surviving.
16 October
A Fairchild UC-123K Provider,
57-6291, c/n 20301, of the 302d Tactical Airlift Wing, Air Force Reserve, crashed at 0830 hrs. shortly after take off from Henry Post Army Airfield, en route home from Fort Sill, Oklahoma, to Columbus-Rickenbacker ANGB, Ohio. Four crew members died on impact, the fifth died later. KWF are Capt. George Freeland, Jr.; Maj. Thomas Brady; Lt. Col. Donald Griffith; T/Sgt. Michael Snodgrass; and Sr. Amn. Robert Hass. A commemorative marker is displayed in Denver Williams Memorial Park, Wilmington, Ohio.
24 October
Soviet Air Force pilot Leonid Ivanov, selected for cosmonaut training in December 1978, is killed during a Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-27 test flight.
29 October
A USAF Lockheed YMC-130H Hercules,
74-1683, c/n 4658, outfitted with experimental JATO rockets for
Operation Credible Sport, a planned second attempt to rescue American hostages held by Iran, is destroyed when the rockets misfire during a test landing at Wagner Field, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, USA. All crew members survive, but the rescue operation is deemed excessively risky and is cancelled.
31 October
Fifth prototype Mikoyan MiG-29, '
samolet 908', which first flew on 5 April 1979 is utilized for powerplant testing after the loss of the third prototype. It, too, is lost when, on its 48th flight on this date, a combustion chamber fails and the resulting fire burns through control runs. Aircraft dives into the ground. A. V. Fedotov ejects while the aircraft is pulling negative G and receives a spinal injury that keeps him in hospital for several months.
26 November
An military Ka-27 helicopter on a ferry flight from the manufacturer runs out of fuel and crash lands on a busy intersection in the city of Kazan, damaging a tram. In the Post-Soviet states the crash is known as
The Collapse of the Kamov-27 in Kazan. While no one was killed in the crash, rumors circulated in the Soviet Union that supposedly numerous people in the tram had been killed by the rotor blades and that the Soviet government would want to hide the alleged disaster.
29 December
A U.S. Navy pilot ejects from stricken Douglas TA-4J Skyhawk, BuNo.
154626, 'JH', of VC-10, on flight from NAS Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, after engine failure and fire, spends 30 hours in the water before rescue shortly after midnight on Wednesday, 31 December, from the Atlantic ~45 miles S of Bahamian island of Mayaguana by a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter. Two Skyhawks departed Gitmo on routine training mission at 1500 hrs. on Monday, second pilot sees pilot Cmdr. Frank Riordan successfully eject from burning fighter with a good canopy ~240 miles NE of Guantanamo. Observer aboard U.S. Navy P-3 Orion out of NAS Jacksonville, Florida, spots strobelight on pilot's life jacket on Tuesday night, 28 December. Riordan recovered in good condition "except for a slight case of exposure", said a Coast Guard spokesman in Miami, Florida.
12 January
Leftist terrorists, the Puerto Rican Popular Army, also known as the "Machete Wielders", seeking Puerto Rican independence, use home-made bombs to destroy eight Air National Guard LTV A-7D Corsair IIs and a retired Lockheed F-104C Starfighter at the Puerto Rico Air National Guard's Muñiz Air National Guard Base, located on the north-eastern corner of the Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Three bombs in two aircraft were removed before they exploded. Security at the base was so slack that the bombers were able to enter and leave without detection.
12 January
A United States Marine Corps McDonnell-Douglas F-4 Phantom II crashes into the Atlantic Ocean while attempting a landing aboard the USS
Forrestal off Jacksonville, Florida, officials at MCAS Beaufort, South Carolina said on 15 January. The pilot is listed as lost at sea after an unsuccessful search, but radar intercept officer, Capt. C. F. Toler ejects, is rescued and reported in satisfactory condition aboard the carrier.
4 February
A United States Air Force General Dynamics F-111F,
72-1441, c/n E2-71 / F-71, of the 48th Tactical Fighter Wing, crashes on approach to RAF Lakenheath, Bury St. Edmunds, United Kingdom, coming down in an open field in Suffolk. A statement released by the Mildenhall headquarters of U.S. Third Air Force said that pilot and WSO parachuted to safety and were both based at Lakenheath.
7 February
A Tupolev Tu-104 airliner belonging to the Soviet Pacific Fleet and carrying its top brass on the return from a staff maneuvers in Leningrad crashes on take-off at a military airfield in Pushkin, Leningrad oblast. Out of 52 aboard, including 16 generals and admirals and 20 captains, 51 are pronounced dead at the scene, and the co-pilot later dies in hospital from his injuries. Admiral Emil Spiridonov, Fleet's CO, was among the killed. The reason was later determined to be the improper loading of the aircraft, with a part of the cargo, two huge rolls of book paper, unsecured and shifting during the take-off, causing a wingstrike.
10 February
Two United States Marine Corps helicopters, a Boeing Vertol CH-46F Sea Knight, BuNo
157666, c/n 2565, 'YT-??', of HMM-164, and a Sikorsky CH-53 Sea Stallion, collide over MCAS Tustin, California, United States, six killed.
13 February
An Aermacchi SF.260 of the Belgian Air Force crashed near Peruwelz, Belgium, two killed.
20 February
An Indian Army HAL Cheetah helicopter collided with a HAL Pushpak near Patiala airfield in India. Four crew killed (two in each aircraft) and a woman on the ground.
20 February
A Bell UH-1 of the Royal Thai Army crashed in southern Thailand, all 11 onboard killed.
4 March
Two USAF McDonnell-Douglas F-4 Phantom IIs collide near Albacete, Spain, crash in flames, killing two of the four crew. The other two parachute to safety. Airframes involved were F-4D, serial given by one source as
66-755, but this may be only a partial, 'SP' tail code, of the 401st Tactical Fighter Wing, and F-4D-30-MC,
66-7620, 'TJ' tail code, of the 52d Tactical Fighter Wing. Both fighters were on a routine training mission from Torrejon Air Base near Madrid. The crash occurred ~130 miles SE of Madrid.
15 April
An Air Force pilot mistakenly shoots down an F-4E-54-MC Phantom II,
72-1486, c/n 4445, of the 526th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 86th Tactical Fighter Wing, TDY from Ramstein Air Base, West Germany on WSEP training, during a training mission over the Gulf of Mexico with an AIM-9 Sidewinder missile. The two-man crew, Capt. M. R. "Ruddy" Dixon and Captain Charles G. Sallee, ejected from the burning F-4 and was rescued quickly. The jets were about 40 minutes into their flight. The Air Force blamed the mishap on inadequate briefing, a failure on behalf of the crews to follow procedures and the fact that the F-4 and the target aircraft looked similar.
25 April
Israeli Defense Force Dassault Mirage IIICJ
Shachak,
44, is overstressed in a landing accident at Hatzor Airbase, WFU. Now displayed in a small airpark on Hatzor AB, one of only three surviving examples in Israel.
6 May
A mechanical failure caused an abrupt nose pitch-down of United States Air Force Boeing EC-135N ARIA,
61-0328, call sign
AGAR 23, of the 4950th Test Wing, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, from Flight Level 290, disappearing from radar at 10:49:48 EDT to crash in a farmer's field, in Walkersville, Maryland. All 21 aboard were killed. A memorial is scheduled to be built at Walkersville Heritage Farm Park pending funds.
9 May
Thunderbird 6, a United States Air Force Northrop T-38A Talon of the Thunderbirds demonstration team crashed during a display at Hill AFB, Utah, United States, pilot killed.
21 May
Ecuadorian Air Force de Havilland Canada DHC-6 crashed into high ground in bad weather with the loss of all 18 on board.
24 May
A Beechcraft 200 Super King Air of the Fuerza Aérea Ecuatoriana,
FAE-723, flew into a Huairapungo Mountain, Loja Province, Ecuador, with the loss of all 9 on board including Jaime Roldós Aguilera, the President of Ecuador.
26 May
Grumman EA-6B Prowler, BuNo
159910, of VMAQ-2 Detachment Y, crash landed on flight deck of USS
Nimitz, off the Florida coast, killing 14 crewmen and injuring 45 others (some reports say 42, some 48). The crash was the result of the aircraft missing the last arresting cable, while ignoring a wave-off command. Two Grumman F-14 Tomcats struck and destroyed (BuNos.
161138 and
160385), 3 F-14s, 9 LTV A-7 Corsair IIs, 3 S-3A Vikings, 1 Grumman A-6 Intruder and 1 Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King damaged. Forensic testing conducted found that several members of the deceased flight deck crew tested positive for marijuana (the officers on board the aircraft were never tested, claimed one report). The responsibility for the accident was placed on the deck crew. The official naval inquiry stated that the accident was the result of drug abuse by the enlisted crewmen of the
Nimitz, despite the fact that every death occurred during the impact of the crash, none of the enlisted deck crew were involved with the operation of the aircraft, and not one member of the deck crew was killed fighting the fire. As a result of this incident, President Ronald Reagan instituted a "Zero Tolerance" policy across all of the armed services—which started the mandatory drug testing of all US service personnel. In another report, however, the Navy stated that pilot error, possibly caused by an excessive dosage of brompheniramine, a cold medicine, in the blood of pilot Marine 1st Lt. Steve E. White, of Houston, Texas, "may have degraded the mental and physical skills required for night landings." The report described brompheniramine as "a common antihistamine decongestant cold medicine ingredient." "Last October [1981], Rep. Joseph P. Addabbo, (D-N.Y.) said that an autopsy conducted on the pilot's body disclosed up to 11 times the recommended dosage of a cold remedy in his system." This report seems to bely the above account that no testing was done on the flight crew.
29 May
The Bell X-14B, NASA N704NA, originally USAF
56-0422, upgraded from the A-configuration with an onboard computer and digital fly-by-wire control system installed to enable emulation of landing characteristics of other VTOL aircraft, and used in this test role, is damaged beyond repair in a landing accident this date. Airframe was saved from being scrapped and is now under restoration at the Ropkey Armor Museum, Crawfordsville, Indiana.
17 June
Two Indonesian Air Force BAe Hawk T.53s collide over Indonesia.
19 July
Aboard the USS
Guam, while operating 50 km SE of Morehead City, North Carolina (USA), a Sikorsky CH-53 Sea Stallion helicopter crashes into another CH-53 and a Bell UH-1N Twin Huey upon landing. Four crewmen die and 10 are injured.
31 July
A Belgian Air Force Dassault Mirage VBR hits a radio mast at Dudelange, Luxembourg.
2 August
Fuerza Aérea Panamena de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter 300,
FAP-205, c/n 284, departs Penonomé, Panama at 1140 hrs. for Coclecito, Panama, with two crew and Panama's President General Omar Torrijos and four of his aides aboard. Before reaching the destination the airplane flew into the side of Marta Mountain at an altitude of 3,400 ft. at ~1200 hrs., killing all seven.
7 August
Sikorsky HH-3F Pelican, U.S. Coast Guard
1471, c/n 61-633, crashes into water in the Gulf of Alaska whilst performing a hoist to a distressed 26-foot fishing vessel
Marlene in bad weather. Crew of 4 drowns after egressing the inverted aircraft. Helicopter recovered and taken back to CGAS Kodiak; overhauled and returned to service. KWF were Lt. Ernest (Pat) Rivas, pilot; Lt. Joseph Spoja, co-pilot; AM1 Scott Finfrock and AT3 John Snyder, Jr. The bodies of all but Spoja were recovered.
19 August
A Royal Australian Air Force Bell UH-1 Iroquois fatally crashed at Willamstown, New South Wales. All UH-1Bs are grounded.
19 August
Two Libyan Air Force Sukhoi Su-22s are shot down off of the Libyan coast by two United States Navy Grumman F-14A Tomcats of VF-41 from USS
Nimitz.
2 September
Two Italian Air Force Fiat G.91PANs of the Frecce Tricolori collide over Rivolto during a team practice, team leader is killed.
6 September
A United States Air Force Northrop T-38A-75-NO Talon,
68-8182, '1', of the Thunderbirds display team crashed on take-off at Cleveland, Ohio, United States following a bird strike. The team leader, Lt. Col. David L. Smith, was killed and the teams displays for the rest of the year are cancelled.
17 September
Near Sardinia, Italy, a USMC Sikorsky CH-53C Sea Stallion helicopter crashes while attempting to land aboard the USS
Guadalcanal during training exercises, killing all five crewmen.
26 September
Vietnamese Cosmonaut Bùi Thanh Liêm (June 30, 1949 – September 26, 1981), a native of Hanoi, Vietnam, is killed in a training flight in a Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 over the Gulf of Tonkin this date.
28 September or 30 September (sources differ)
During a NAVAIR weapons release test over the Chesapeake Bay, a McDonnell-Douglas F/A-18A-3-MC Hornet, BuNo
160782, c/n 8, out of NAS Patuxent River, Maryland, drops a vertical ejector bomb rack with an inert Mk. 82 bomb from the port wing, which shears off the outer starboard wing of Douglas TA-4J Skyhawk camera chase aircraft, BuNo
156896, c/n 13989, which catches fire as it begins an uncontrolled spin. Two crew successfully eject before the Skyhawk impacts in the bay, the whole sequence caught on film from a second chase aircraft. Video of this accident is widely available on the web.
22 October
A United States Coast Guard Sikorsky HH-52A Seaguard,
1427, crashed near Mobile, Alabama, United States, two crew killed.
29 October
A United States Navy Grumman EA-6B Prowler, BuNo
159582, 'AC-604', of VAQ-138, from NAS Whidbey Island, Washington, crashes at 0850 hrs. in a rural field near Virginia Beach, Virginia, killing three crew. Wreckage sprayed onto nearby houses, a barn and a stable with 35 horses, but no fires were sparked and there were no ground injuries. The Prowler had departed NAS Norfolk with three other aircraft at 0832 hrs., bound for the USS
John F. Kennedy, off the Virginia coast before crashing three miles from NAS Oceana. Navy officials said they did not know if the pilot was trying for Oceana.
30 October
A United States Air Force Boeing B-52D Stratofortress,
55-078, of the 22d Bomb Wing, March AFB, California, crashes on the eastern Colorado prairie near La Junta at 0630 hrs. while on a low-level (400 foot altitude) training mission, killing all eight crew. No weapons were on board.
2 November
McDonnell-Douglas F-15A-14-MC Eagle.
75-0051, of the 59th TFS, 33d TFW, based at Eglin AFB, crashes near Panama City, Florida after mid-air collision with McDonnell Douglas F-15A Eagle,
76-0048, during night refuelling. Pilot killed. Second F-15 lands okay.
17 November
United States Navy Lockheed S-3 Viking from the USS
Nimitz, is lost near Sardinia with all four aviators killed.
22 November
United States Navy LTV A-7E-11-CV Corsair II, BuNo
158678, 'AJ-310', of VA-82 from the USS
Nimitz air wing and based at Cecil Field, Florida, crashed at 1200 hrs. ~120 miles NW of Sardinia. Aircraft was returning to the ship after routine mission.
18 December
USAF F-4E Phantom II crashed into the Atlantic, off Wilmington, NC. Lt. Michael Mattson, pilot, MIA. Lt Thomas Tiller, navigator, ejected rescued from life raft 6 days later. Catastrophic electrical failure.
19 December
United States Navy Grumman F-14 Tomcat, BuNo
159623, NG-205, of US Navy Fighter Squadron 24 VF-24 is lost during a carrier landing mishap aboard USS
Constellation, deployed in the Indian Ocean. Aircraft caught the #4 arresting cable, which was set for the wrong aircraft weight. Pilot and RIO ejected successfully and were rescued by an SH-3 flown by HS-8 (now HSC-8). The Tomcat sank after floating a few minutes.
7 January
Lt. Colleen A. Cain, the U.S. Coast Guard's first female HH-52 Seaguard helicopter pilot, died in the line of duty when HH-52,
CG-1420, on which she was co-pilot, crashed into a mountainside 50 miles E of Honolulu. The pilot, LCdr. H. W. Johnson, and aircrewman AD2 D. L. Thompson, were also killed.
18 January
The Diamond Crash, the worst accident in U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds Demonstration Team history involving show aircraft, when four Northrop T-38A Talons, Numbers 1–4,
68–8156,
-8175,
-8176 and
-8184, crashed during pre-season training on Range 65 at Indian Springs Air Force Auxiliary Field, Nevada (now Creech Air Force Base). While practicing the four-aircraft line abreast loop, the formation impacted the ground at high speed, instantly killing all four pilots: Major Norm Lowry, leader, Captain Willie Mays, Captain Pete Peterson and Captain Mark Melancon. The cause of the crash was officially listed by the USAF as the result of a mechanical problem with the #1 aircraft's control stick actuator. During formation flight, the wing and slot pilots visually cue off the #1 lead aircraft, completely disregarding their positions in relation to the ground. The crash of a team support Fairchild C-123 Provider on 10 October 1958 killed 19.
10 March
A
Fuerza Aérea de Chile ENAER T-35 Pillán,
101, was written off, pilot killed.
13 March
Boeing KC-135A-BN Stratotanker,
57-1489, assigned to the 197th Air Refueling Squadron, 161st Air Refueling Group, Arizona Air National Guard, crashed south of Luke AFB, Arizona. The KC-135 was on an instrument approach to Luke when a Grumman AA-1 Yankee, N6160L, collided with it aft of the wings, causing the tail section to separate from the rest of the aircraft, leading to loss of control and crash. All four crew members in the KC-135 and the two civilians in the Yankee were killed.
15 March
A Royal Swedish Air Force Saab Draken crashed into the Baltic, pilot killed.
19 March
Boeing Boeing KC-135A-BN Stratotanker,
58-0031, assigned to the 108th Air Refueling Squadron, 126th Air Refueling Wing, Illinois Air National Guard, crashed near Greenwood, Illinois. The KC-135 was returning from K.I. Sawyer AFB, Michigan to its home base at Chicago O'Hare International Airport when an explosion occurred at 13,700 feet due to an overheated fuel pump. All four crew members and 23 passengers in the KC-135 were killed.
23 March
An Eglin Air Force Base General Dynamics F-16B Block 5 Fighting Falcon,
78-0112, of the 4485th Test Squadron, crashed into a green at Rocky Bayou Country Club, near Niceville, Florida. The pilot had just finished a test bombing run over Eglin's Range 52 and lost power in the engine. The pilot was able to get the aircraft to an altitude of about 3,000 feet and a speed of between 285 mph and 345 mph before the engine gave out. The pilot, and a weapons officer decided to eject, expecting the F-16 to continue north and crash into a wooded area of the Eglin reservation. According to officer in charge of Eglin's safety office, the dual ejection caused the aircraft to roll to the right and slam into the golf course's sixth green, narrowly missing several homes. The two airmen landed on the 18th green and didn't suffer any major injuries. Air Force investigators were able to later watch the entire crash because a chase aircraft that had been photographing the test mission caught the crash on film. When F-16 experts recreated the accident they discovered a sequence of control switch moves that would restart an F-16 engine. The procedures were added to F-16 instruction manuals.
23 March
A United States Air Force McDonnell-Douglas F-4E-58-MC Phantom II,
73-1180, of the 4th Tactical Fighter Wing, crashed into Tempiute Mountain near Nellis AFB, Nevada, both crew killed.
31 March
The first military aircraft of the young air force of Suriname (SAF) was a Hughes 500 – Model 369D helicopter (c/n 117-0193D), simply registered SAF-100 and being used for light observation tasks. Unfortunately this aircraft was written off on 31 March 1982 killing all four occupants, including pilot Foster Ford. The crash occurred while the helicopter was on a search and rescue mission near the Guyanese border, searching for military troops which lost their way in the amazon jungle.
2 April
An
Armada de la República Argentina (ARA) Westland Lynx HAS.2 from the
1ra Escuadrilla Aeronaval de Helicópteros supporting the Argentinian invasion of the Falklands crashes into the sea near the ARA Santísima Trinidad.
14 April
A United States Army Bell UH-1 crashed near Fort Rucker, Alabama, four killed.
14 April
A United States Air Force McDonnell-Douglas F-4D-28-MC Phantom II,
65-0770, crashed on the Avon Park Range in Florida, both crew killed.
20 April
Lockheed F-117A,
80-785, crashes on take-off on its first test flight at Groom Lake, Nevada, due to crossed wiring of the yaw controls, coming to rest inverted adjacent to the runway. Lockheed test pilot Bob Ridenhauer survives with serious injuries and retires from test flying. He has to be cut out of the overturned cockpit section. This was the first loss of a production Nighthawk and occurred prior to Air Force acceptance. This was almost exactly the same wiring mistake that caused the loss of a Lockheed A-12 on 28 December 1965.
22 April
During the Falklands War, British SAS troops deployed from HMS
Antrim, attempt to reconnoitre Fortuna Glacier on South Georgia island in preparation for recapture by UK forces but are hit by bad weather. One Westland Wessex HAS.3 and two Westland Wessex HU.5 helicopters (
XT464 and
XT473) of 845 Naval Air Squadron attempt a rescue in difficult conditions. After loading the troops, one Wessex 5 crashes on the glacier but all aboard survive. The personnel are then redistributed onto the other two helicopters, whereupon the second Wessex 5 also crashes on lift-off, leaving seventeen stranded on the glacier (thirteen SAS and four helicopter crew). The Wessex 3 navigator Lt. Chris Parry, returning to the glacier as nightfall comes on, loads 17 into a helicopter able to carry 5, returns to the
Antrim, which is pitching in a rough sea, and pilot Lt. Cmdr. Ian Stanley crashes the Wessex onto the deck, concluding the rescue of the seventeen stranded men, who would likely have perished had they not been evacuated from the glacier. Pilot Stanley and two other airmen are awarded the DSO for the rescue operation, although the Ministry of Defense suppresses news of the loss of three helicopters.
26 April
SFC Clifford Wilson Strickland is picked up by an Lockheed MC-130 Combat Talon of the 7th Special Operations Squadron at CFB Lahr, Germany, during Flintlock 82 exercise, using Fulton STARS recovery system, but falls to his death reportedly due faulty equipment in 1400 hrs accident. This will be the last ever attempt to utilize the Skyhook system.
6 May
Royal Navy Sea Harrier FRS.1s,
XZ452, '007', and
XZ453, '009', of 801 Naval Air Squadron on combat air patrol from HMS
Hermes of the Falklands task force, collide in poor visibility, killing pilots Lt. Cmdr. John Eyton-Jones in 452 and Lt. Alan Curtis in 453. Another source states that they were from the HMS
Invincible.
10 May
U.S. Marine Corps A-4M Skyhawk, BuNo
160038, 'WL 02', of VMA-311, based at MCAS El Toro, California, crashes in the California desert 40 miles E of Barstow after suffering engine failure. Maj. R. L. Barton, during recovery from strafe run at Twenty Nine Palms, experiences loss of power and ejects after unsuccessful attempts to regain power.
13 May
A United States Navy Boeing Vertol HH-46A Sea Knight, BuNo.
152511, c/n 2131, of HC-16, crashed into the Gulf of Mexico off Pensacola, Florida, one killed.
19 May
A Royal Navy Westland Sea King HC.4,
ZA294, transferring from HMS
Hermes to HMS
Intrepid during the Falklands conflict, crashes into the sea after a bird strike with a black-browed albatross. The crash results in 22 fatalities including 18 members of the 22 Squadron SAS, one fatality each from the Royal Signals and Royal Air Force.
20 May
A Dassault Mirage III of the
Força Aérea Brasileira crashed, two crew killed.
25 May
An RAF Hawker-Siddeley/McDonnell-Douglas F-4 Phantom II FGR.2,
XV422, of 92 Squadron, piloted by Roy Laurence and Alistair Inverarity was engaging a Royal Air Force SEPECAT Jaguar GR.1,
XX963, c/n S.85, 'AL', of 14 Squadron, piloted by Flt. Lt. D. Steve Griggs in training exercises. During the encounter the Phantom shot a live AIM-9L Sidewinder forcing the Jaguar pilot to eject, 35 miles NE of Bruggen, West Germany. The incident occurred during a simulated airfield attack. "The fact that Laurence's master armament switch had not been taped over in the 'safe' position, plus an unreliable circuit breaker in the missile firing electronics, coupled with some confusion on board the aircraft about following 'unarmed' intercept routines in an armed Phantom, all led to a Sidewinder impacting Flt Lt Steve Griggs' Jaguar. It was the first incident of its kind in the RAF. Griggs, an ex-Phantom pilot, ejected in good order."
2 June
A Royal Air Force Avro Vulcan B.2
XM597 on
Operation Black Buck during the Falklands War is forced to divert to Brazil after breaking a refuelling-probe. The aircraft was interned at the Brazilian air force base, Aérea de Santa Cruz, Rio de Janeiro and was allowed to leave nine days later due to the arrival of Pope John Paul II on a pastoral visit to Brazil.
6 June
Westland Gazelle AH1
XX377 is shot down by friendly fire from HMS
Cardiff during the Falklands War
21 June
A United State Marine Corps Boeing Vertol CH-46D Sea Knight, BuNo.
153323, crashed into the Atlantic off Cape May, New Jersey, killing one of the crew.
22 June
Magyar Légierō, Hungarian Air Force Mil Mi-24D,
113, crashes, killing one crew.
5 July
An
Esercito Italiano (Italian Army) Agusta-Bell 205 crashes in the Val Ridanna, pilot killed.
6 July
A United States Navy F-4S Phantom II, BuNo.
157279, upgraded from an F-4J-42-MC, crashed off USS
Forrestal following failure of the catapult strap, pilot missing. No mention of fate of the RIO.
13 July
A United States Marine Corps F-4S Phantom II, BuNo.
158377, upgraded from an F-4J-47-MC, flew into the ground close to MCAS Yuma, Arizona, both crew killed.
13 July
A United States Marine Corps F-4S Phantom II, BuNo.
153819, of VMFA-251, upgraded from an F-4J-30-MC, crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off South Carolina. Joe Baugher lists this, and notes that the same airframe is also reported to have been damaged beyond repair as a QF-4S during a high-speed power turn at San Nicholas, California on 28 April 1999.
27 July
A USAF Sikorsky HH-53C,
69-5792, (conflict here—second source lists it as
69-5782) from the 1551st CCTW at Kirtland AFB, New Mexico, crashed following a descent from a night time refueling mission, four killed.
27 July
A United States Air Force F-5B and a F-5F collide over Tucson, Arizona, three crew ejected but one was killed.
30 July
USCG HC-130H CG1600, c/n 4757, assigned Kodiak CGAS, crashed 4 kilometers south of Attu, Aleutian Islands, in bad weather landing – killing two Coast Guardsmen aboard, one crewman and one passenger. The remaining 6 crewmen and 1 passengers survived, some with significant injuries.
9 September
A Royal Swedish Air Force Saab Viggen crashed into Mount Hirvasaive, Lappland, pilot killed.
11 September
At an airshow in Mannheim, Germany, celebrating the 375th anniversary of that city, a United States Army Boeing-Vertol CH-47C Chinook,
74-22292, of the 295th Assault Support Helicopter Company—"Cyclones", located at Coleman Army Airfield, Coleman Barracks, near Mannheim, carrying parachutists crashed, killing 46 people. The crash was later found to be caused by an accumulation of ground walnut shells that had been used to clean the machinery.
15 September
A Greek Air Force F-84F exploded over Larissa, three people on the ground killed.
7 October
BA-55 a Belgian Air Force Dassault Mirage 5BA crashed into a quarry at Bierset, pilot killed.
13 October
A JASDF McDonnell-Douglas F-4EJ Phantom II,
47-8343, crashes into the Sea of Japan near Komatsu, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan.
20 October
A Swiss Air Force Hawker Hunter is shot down by another Hunter during an exercise at Cherroux near Payne, Switzerland.
21 October
A Swiss Air Force Sud Alouette III crashed near Urnasch, six killed.
26 October
A West German Air Force Lockheed F-104G Starfighter crashed in the Netherlands, pilot killed.
8 November
A United States Air Force in Europe F-4 crashed near Hannover, West Germany, both crew killed.
14 November
A Mitsubishi T-2B,
19-5174, of the Blue Impulse (or 11 Squadron) air demonstration team of the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force fails to pull out of a descending bomb-burst manoeuvere following a formation loop, crashes into civilian house, Takaoka Town, Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture, N of Hamamatsu Air Base, during base's 30th anniversary air show, killing pilot Capt. Takashima Kiyoshi. Thirteen civilians injured, 28 civilian houses and about 290 cars damaged.
26 November
An Indian Air Force Mil Mi-8 crashed in Mizoram province, nine killed.
29 November
Shortly after completing a training mission, a USAF Boeing B-52G Stratofortress,
59-4766, suffered hydraulics fire in nose gear, exploded at the end of the runway at Castle AFB, California, but crew of nine escaped before it was fully engulfed. Aircraft commander ordered evacuation as soon as he learned of the wheel fire.
6 December
A Hungarian Air Force Antonov An-26 "Curl" serialled "210" (C/N 2210) crashes at Szentkirályszabadja with the loss of 4 of the 5 crew. Aircraft was one of six on strength.
16 December
57-6482 a United States Air Force B-52G crashed after take-off from Mather AFB, nine killed.
29 December
An Indian Air Force helicopter crashed near Gantok, five killed.
30 December
A military HAL Ajeet trainer operated by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited exploded in mid-air in Dharmarpuri province killing the test pilot.
9 January
One of two USAF McDonnell-Douglas F-4C Phantom IIs, call sign Juliet Lima 26, of the Michigan Air National Guard sent on a Special Military Instrument Intercept Clearance Mission to intercept a private Beechcraft D-55 Baron, registered N7142N, that strays into restricted ADIZ zone off the North Carolina coast, collides at 1641 hrs. EST, in poor visibility with light-twin piloted by Waynesboro, Virginia lawyer Henry H. Tiffany. The Phantom's port wing slicing through the Baron's fuselage and cabin, killing all seven on board. Although suffering damage to the port wing leading edge and loss of port wing tank assembly, the F-4C returns safely to Seymour-Johnson AFB near Goldsboro, North Carolina.
A Pentagon report, prepared by the National Guard Bureau of the Army and the Air Force, issued 18 May 1983, notes that Tiffany, 47, en route from vacation in the Bahamas to Norfolk, Virginia, had failed to adhere to his flight plan, and also failed to notify controllers when he entered the restricted air space 20 mi (32 km) South of MCAS Cherry Point, North Carolina. Phantom pilot, Capt. John A. Wellers, was found to have closed on the Beechcraft at higher than intended speed while doing radar search and was faulted for failure to maintain 500 ft (150 m) vertical separation, as per instructions. The report notes that the Aerospace Defense Command radar operators at Fort Lee, Virginia, gave Wellers incorrect altitude data about his target, and that personnel at the FAA's flight control center in Leesburg, Virginia and military controllers at Fort Lee "were slow to react or acted improperly in the process of identifying the unknown aircraft." Flamboyant lawyer Tiffany had been imprisoned for two months in 1978 after an aircraft he was piloting was forced down with engine trouble in Haiti with more than a ton of marijuana on board. U.S. drug authorities said later that Tiffany was implicated in a major Northern Virginia smuggling ring. In fact, on the fatal flight, Tiffany was by-passing his flight plan's required U.S. customs stop in Florida and was attempting a direct flight to Norfolk, said a National Transportation Safety Board report issued 23 August 1983.
27 January
Five maintenance airmen are killed and eight injured when a USAF Boeing B-52G-90-BW Stratofortress,
57-6507, c/n 464212, of the 319th Bomb Wing, catches fire due to an overheated fuel pump and explodes at 0930 hrs. on the ramp at Grand Forks AFB, North Dakota. The Stratofortress was undergoing routine fuel cell maintenance after flying a training mission the previous night.
28 April
A USAF LTV A-7D-11-CV Corsair II,
71-0361, of the 149th Tactical Fighter Squadron, of the Virginia Air National Guard, based at Richmond International Airport, crashed near Richmond, Virginia, shearing unoccupied house in half and setting second structure on fire. Pilot Capt. Robert Welch, 30, of Atlanta, Georgia, ejected just before impact, suffering a slight back injury.
30 April
Shortly after take-off from NAS Jacksonville, Florida, around noon, for a flight to Leeward Point Field at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba, the port engine of a Navy Convair C-131F Samaritan, BuNo
141010, c/n 293, caught fire. The pilot radioed that he was returning to the base. As the aircraft was over the St. Johns River, ~1/4 mile from the runway and at ~200 feet altitude, the port wing separated from the aircraft. When the fuselage hit the water, the aircraft exploded, killing 14 of 15 on board. The sole survivor grabbed onto the first floating object she could reach: her own suitcase.
1 May
During air-to-air combat training over the Negev Desert, an Israeli Air Force McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle,
957, "Markia Schakim" (Hebrew:
מרקיע שחקים, "Sky Blazer"), of 106 Squadron, collides with an Douglas A-4N
Ayit,
374, at between 13 and 14 thousand feet altitude, causing the attack jet to explode (the pilot, last name Shraga, reportedly successfully ejected), and tearing off the starboard wing of the fighter ~2 feet outboard of the engine nacelle. Pilot Zivi Nedivi goes to afterburner to try to stop spinning aircraft, and unaware of the condition of the jet due to fuel leaks obscuring the extent of the damage, makes a blistering 250–260 knot landing at nearest air base at Ramon, tearing off the arrestor hook and coming to a stop just 20 feet from the runway threshold. Pilot later comments that had he known the true state of the aircraft, he and his weapons operator would have ejected. F-15 is reportedly repaired and returned to service in ~two months.
17 May
A U.S. Navy Lockheed P-3B-65-LO Orion, BuNo
152733, c/n 185-5173, of VP-1, makes a wheels-up landing at NAS Barbers Point, Hawaii, due to pilot error, ending a 14-year squadron record of over 101,000 hours of accident-free flying. Airframe struck off charge.
22 May
A Canadian Forces Lockheed CF-104 Starfighter,
104813, of 439 Sqn., explodes in mid-air during airshow performance at Rhein-Main Air Base, Frankfurt, Germany, wreckage falling onto parked cars in woods near the airport, setting several afire and killing three adults and two children watching the display, Reuters news service reported. A Canadian Forces spokesman said that the CF-104, flown by Capt. Alan J. Stephenson, 27, was in a formation of five Starfighters, and that he was to do a solo display. He had done two complete circuits and had leveled off for a low-speed fly-past when the aircraft malfunctioned. He ejected safely. The spokesman said that a board of inquiry has been convened to investigate the cause of the crash.
25 August
An elderly Morehead City, North Carolina, woman died of burns on 26 August which she received when a USMC Grumman EA-6B Prowler, BuNo
160704, c/n P-67, 'CY-11', of VMAQ-2, US Marine Corps, crashed into the front porch of her neighbor's house on Thursday night, 25 August, after the aircraft caught fire and smoke in the cockpit forced the crew of four to eject, parachuting safely. Clara Belle Daniels, a 72-year-old widow, was working in her yard when the jet spiraled down, and received third degree burns from the impact. She was flown by military helicopter to the burn treatment center at Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem, where she died the next day, said hospital spokesman Phyllis Teague. "Major Dennis K. Brooks, public affairs officer for the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing at Cherry Point Marine Corps Air Station, identified the crewmen as 1st Lt. James M. Stevenson, 26, of Palos Verdes, Calif.; Capt. Gordon B. Habbestad, 28, Spokane, Wash.; Capt. James J. Cuff Jr., 33, Cherry Hill, N.J., and Capt. David F. Tomaino, 30, Needham, Mass. Brooks said Tomaino was the pilot and Stevenson was the injured crewman. Robert Bryden, a resident of the neighborhood at Shepard and 18th streets where the crash occurred, said a major catastrophe was avoided because the plane fell almost straight down. 'If the plane had just angled down, it would have taken the whole block with it, but it didn't,' Bryden said. 'The plane just stalled out up there and dropped like a rock to the ground.'"
1 September
A Boeing-Vertol UH-46 Sea Knight loses power on lift-off from the deck of Spruance-class destroyer USS
Fife during her first deployment, strikes the NATO Sea Sparrow missile mount, leaving the stricken helicopter hanging over the ship's starboard side.
Fife's damage control teams quickly lash the UH-46 in place and all 16 personnel are rescued without serious injury. After pulling into Singapore to crane off the damaged helicopter, the warship sails west to Diego Garcia to receive a new Sea Sparrow mount.
20 October
Japanese Air Self Defense Force McDonnell-Douglas F-15DJ Eagle,
12-8053, of the 202
Hikōtai, crashes into the Pacific Ocean 110 miles E of Nyutubaru Air Base, Japan, during low altitude night flying training.
28 October
Hawker Siddeley Harrier GR.1,
XV742, one of four Harriers displayed at the 1968 SBAC show at Farnborough, then loaned to the U.S. Marine Corps for trials in 1971, returned to the RAF and converted to GR.3 standard in 1982, crashes this date on Holbeach range, UK, while serving with No. 233 OCU.
12 November
McDonnell-Douglas F-15A-16-MC Eagle,
76-076, c/n 0265/A228, of the 71st Tactical Fighter Squadron, 1st Tactical Fighter Wing, jumps chocks during an engine run at Langley AFB, Virginia, and collides with F-15,
76–071, c/n 0259/A223, of the same units. Both are repaired.
76-076 is later placed on display in park near DeBary, Florida, marked as
85-0125, in memory of an airman killed in the Khobar Towers terrorist bombing.
21 March
Two T-38 Talon Air Force trainer jets collide over south-east Franklin County, Alabama, during a training mission, killing 3 out of the 4 airmen aboard. The collision creates an explosion "louder than thunder" that can be heard from miles away. Captain Jefferson K. Dubel is the sole survivor, having ejected out of his aircraft after the collision. The wreckage is strewn across 2 square miles of land around Franklin County Road 79.
24 March
Sea Stallion carrying 18 U.S. and 11 South Korean Marines hit a mountainside in South Korea in early morning darkness March 24, 1984
http://newsok.com/article/2114704
26 April
United States Air Force Lt. Gen. Robert M. Bond (1929–1984), Vice Commander of Air Force Systems Command, is killed in a high-speed ejection from a Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 of the 4477th Test and Evaluation Squadron, out of Groom Lake, Nevada at 1018 hrs., which was initially reported to be an F-117A Stealth fighter. The MiG impacted on Little Skull Mountain on the remote Nellis AFB range in a high-speed 60-degree dive. Following this accident, officers of General rank were prohibited from test flying. The Air Force is also forced to admit that it is flying Soviet bloc aircraft. This may have been a MiG that a Libyan pilot defected to Italy in during the early 1980s.
22 May
Lockheed U-2R,
68-10333, Article 055, fifth airframe of first R-model order, first flight 8 May 1968, registered N812X; delivered to the CIA, 28 May 1968. To 100th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing mid-1974. To 9th SRW in 1976. Damaged at Akrotiri, Cyprus, 24 April 1980 – repaired. Crashes this date at Osan Air Base, South Korea, pilot Capt. David Bonsi survives. Aircraft suffers tailpipe failure on climb-out at ~3,000 feet forcing an ejection. This was the first of three such tailpipe-related crashes.
24 May
United States Navy Lcdr. Daniel Joseph Harrington IV (born 1945), Pilot of VC-5, ejected safely from a Douglas TA-4J Skyhawk, BuNo.
158476, 'UE 15', of VC-5, out of Cubi Point, Philippines. Rear seat pilot Lt. Charles Richard Dickinson was killed on impact with water. The TA-4J impacted near Grande Island, Subic Bay, Philippines in the water. Catastrophic engine failure was found to be the cause.
June
United States Air Force 1st Lt. Kurt D. Schwindt and 2nd Lt. Craig R. Martelle were killed when their Cessna Skymaster O-2 Forward Control aircraft crashed at Travis Field near Savannah, Georgia, during the "Quick-Thrust" joint exercise. Investigators determined that a tail-flap linkage failure sent the aircraft nose-down into the trees near the airport.
21 August
U.S. Navy LTV A-7E Corsair II, BuNo
157495, of attack squadron VA-56 Champions, suffers a fatal ramp strike on USS
Midway, airframe splitting in two aft the wing with a resultant fireball as fuel cells rupture.
29 August
Second prototype Rockwell B-1A Lancer,
74-0159, of the Air Force Flight Test Center, Edwards AFB, California, crashes 22 miles NE of the base, in the desert E of Boron, California, when control is lost during an aft centre of gravity test. The flight commander, Rockwell test pilot Doug A. Benefield, is killed when escape pod parachutes fail to fully deploy, module impacting in a right nose low attitude. The Co-pilot and flight test engineer are badly injured.
30 August
A United States Navy North American T-2C Buckeye crashes into the Chesapeake Bay shortly after take-off from NAS Patuxent River, Maryland, killing the student and seriously injuring the instructor.
10 October
The first of three Northrop F-20 Tigersharks,
82-0062, c/n GG1001,
N4416T, during a world sales tour, crashes at Suwon Air Base, South Korea, killing Northrop chief test pilot Darrell Cornell. During the last manoeuvre of the final demonstration flight at Suwon, the aircraft stalled at the top of an erratic vertical climb and dove into the ground from 1,800 feet. High-G pilot incapacitation was suspected as the cause, as the investigation found no evidence of airframe failure.
16 October
An unarmed USAF Boeing B-52G Stratofortress,
57‑6479, of the 92nd Bomb Wing out of Fairchild AFB, Washington, crashed about 2100 hrs. into a mesa on the Navajo reservation in northeastern Arizona 13 miles NE of Kayenta, during a low-level training flight. Eight crew eject and recovered in a day; one ejects, missing; gunner KWF.
1985
Sole Windecker YE-5A Eagle,
73-1653, c/n 009, crashes during classified military test by U.S. Army when it gets into a spin (which it was placarded against) and pilot bails out.
11 January
An unarmed U.S. Army Pershing II medium-range ballistic missile caught fire near Heilbronn, Germany during a routine training exercise, killing three American soldiers and injuring seven others. No nuclear weapons were involved in the accident.
22 January
U.S. Navy H-3 Helicopter crashes off the coast of NS Roosevelt Roads PR. 1 fatality.
9 February
An armed USAF Fairchild-Republic A-10A Thunderbolt II,
78-0723, crashed into a cliff in Oak Creek Canyon just north of Sedona, Arizona during a morning rainstorm. A military demolitions crew was sent in to recover unexploded munitions and the canyon was closed to traffic for several days. The lone pilot, attached to the 354th Tactical Fighter Wing at Myrtle Beach Air Force Base, South Carolina, was killed.
29 March
Two Canadian Forces Lockheed CC-130H Hercules,
130330 and
130331, both of 435 Squadron, crashed after having a mid-air collision over CFB Namao, near Edmonton, Alberta. This is the only dual Hercules mid-air.
3 April
First Kamov V-80-01, prototype of Kamov Ka-50 Hokum, '010', crashes, killing the pilot.
20 April
USAF North American CT-39 Sabreliner 62-4496 (c/n 276-49), suffering from defective brakes, runs off runway at Wilkes-Barre-Scranton International Airport, Pennsylvania, goes down 125-foot embankment, burns, killing all five on board, including General Jerome F. O'Malley, Commander of the United States Air Force's Tactical Air Command
14 May
Second of three Northrop F-20 Tigersharks,
82-0063, c/n GG1002,
N3986B, during stopover at Goose Bay, Labrador, en route to the Paris Air Show, crashes at 1350 hrs. Atlantic Daylight Time at the end of sixth practice flight of the day, in circumstances much like the loss of the first prototype on 10 October 1984. Hesitating in the inverted position at the top of a series of 9G vertical rolls, airframe dove erratically into the ground, coming down in an upright, wings-level, nose-up attitude on snow-covered ground, killing Northrop test pilot Dave Barnes. Again, G-induced pilot unconsciousness was suspected, investigation finding no sign of airframe failure.
27 June
An RAF Lockheed C-130K Hercules C.1P,
XV206, of 1312 Flight, and a Royal Navy Westland Sea King HAS5,
XZ919, helicopter of 826 Naval Air Squadron, collide in cloud north of the Falkland Islands, at around 300 ft. The Hercules lost the wing beyond its #1 (port outer) engine but still managed to land. The Sea King, based at RNAS
Culdrose, was lost and all four on board killed.
13 July
Blue Angels Aircraft 5, BuNo
155029, and 6, BuNo
154992, (Douglas A-4F Skyhawk) collide at the top of a loop at 1532 hrs., Niagara Falls International Airport, New York, during the Western New York Air Show '85, killing Lt. Cmdr. Michael Gershon. Second pilot, Lt. Andy Caputi, ejects safely with only minor injuries. One Skyhawk crashed on airport grounds while the second fighter impacted in a nearby auto junkyard. The demonstration team resumes show duties 20 July at Dayton, Ohio but omits maneuver that resulted in crash, and flies with five aircraft rather than six.
8 August
A USAF LTV A-7D Corsair II,
69‑6198, of the 4450th Tactical Group, lost power, caught fire and crashed into Midwest City, a suburb of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, pilot Maj. Dennis D. Nielson staying with aircraft as he attempted to steer it towards less-populous area before ejecting, but fighter impacted house, killing one, injuring one, one missing, said a United Press International report. Second victim found on 9 August. This unit was secretly operating Lockheed F-117 Nighthawks at this time.
8 August
A USAF General Dynamics F-16A Block 15F Fighting Falcon,
81-0750, of the 421st Tactical Fighter Squadron, crashed during a training mission in northwest Utah, killing the pilot. Crashed onto the Utah Test and Training Range killing pilot, First Lieutenant S. Brad Peale. The aircraft suffered a controlled flight into terrain (CFIT).
1 September
A U.S. Navy Boeing Vertol CH-46D Sea Knight, BuNo
151918, '72', crashed on takeoff due to an engine failure aboard the destroyer USS
Fife (DD-991) in the Indian Ocean. The helicopter struck the Sea Sparrow launcher. Quick response of
Fife´s damage control team extinguished the fires and secured the helicopter which was hanging from the side of the destroyer below the helicopter deck. All 16 crew and passengers aboard escaped without major injuries. The helicopter was assigned to Helicopter Combat Support Squadron 11 (HC-11) Det. 6 aboard the combat stores ship USS
Mars (AFS-1).
15 September
A Texas Army National Guard AH-1G Cobra Tail number 67-15737 of D/1/124 CAV of 49th "Lone Star" Div. crashed shortly after take-off at 8:20 hrs NW of Camp Merrill US Army Ranger Tng Camp AAF near Dahlonega, GA. Initial contact with team aircraft was made then contact was lost in a mountainous and heavily treed area. Post crash investigation indicated N1 compressor section failure was the cause of the Class A Accident resulting in the loss of both pilot, 1LT Kevin M. Cardwell and co-pilot, 1LT Michael L. Pape Sr.
29 October
A USMC Douglas A-4M Skyhawk, BuNo
160242, of VMA-223, one of three en route from NAS Memphis, Tennessee, to MCAS Cherry Point, North Carolina, crashed S of Boiling Springs, South Carolina, 10 miles N of Spartanburg, at ~1800 hrs., leaving a crater estimated to be 15 feet deep and 35 to 45 feet across. The pilot, 1st Lt. Robin Franklin Helton, (13 September 1955 - 29 October 1985) was not immediately found and it was thought that he may have ejected. He did not, and died in the crash. "Official reports after the crash pointed to a failure in the plane's oxygen and communications system as a possible cause." On 29 October 2010, "Helton's family, including his widow Connie Helton Mastrangelo, daughter Robyn Helton (who was just 7 months old when her father died), parents Don and Kathryn Helton, and others also returned [to Boiling Springs] for a short memorial and to unveil a new monument that will alert all passers-by to the ultimate sacrifice by a young Marine, husband and father."
15 November
A U.S. Air Force Convair C-131H Samaritan,
54-2817, of VR-48, Naval Air Facility, Washington, D.C., crashes shortly after take-off from Napier Field, Dothan, Alabama, killing two pilots of the Navy's Fleet Logistic Support Squadron, Andrews AFB, Maryland, and a flight engineer, also of Andrews AFB.
3 December
A U.S. Navy aviator is killed at Naval Air Station Miramar, California, when, upon landing at 0910 hrs. on a slick runway after a flight from NAS Point Mugu, California, his F/A-18A-15-MC Hornet (Lot 7), BuNo
162435, skids ~5,000 feet down the 12,000 foot runway, then overturns, trapping the pilot underneath the inverted airframe. "A Miramar crash crew worked feverishly for about 30 minutes to free the strapped-in pilot from the cockpit. The crew eventually brought in a crane to lift the front of the jet fighter high enough to pull him out. Despite spilling its fuel, the aircraft did not burn. The injured pilot was airlifted by Life Flight helicopter to UC San Diego Medical Center, where he died at 10:25 a.m. Officials would not divulge the cause of death." Lt. John Semcken, public affairs spokesman at Miramar, identified the pilot as Capt. Henry M. Kleemann, 42, Commanding Officer of VX-4. Kleemann, who was married and had four children, was one of two Navy pilots assigned to the aircraft carrier
Nimitz who shot down two Libyan fighters in the Gulf of Sirte on 19 August 1981, after the Libyans fired at the U.S. aircraft. Kleemann was stationed at Point Mugu Naval Air Station near Oxnard, Semcken said. Miramar officials said the aircraft did not deploy a drag chute when it landed, and it appeared that Kleemann was relying solely on the brakes. Navy officials are also trying to determine why the aircraft's canopy landed several feet away from the aircraft, and if Kleemann could have been trying to eject before the craft rolled over. "All of this is just speculation at this point. We have no real clue as to what could have caused the crash. It's under investigation," Semcken said. He said the aircraft has computerized landing and takeoff systems and a computerized anti-skidding system. "We're looking at the landing gear and aircraft's wheels to see what went wrong. The investigators are looking to see if the anti-skidding system failed." Autopsy surgeons determined that the pilot died almost immediately after the crash from a severed spinal cord. Kleemann had nearly 4,000 flight hours, but fewer than 43 in the F/A-18. The Hornet was a nearly new airframe with only 327 flying hours being used in the operational testing of the design. Investigators pinpointed the planing link on the undercarriage whose task is to guide the gear components' complex manoeuvers during retraction as a probable cause. If damaged during retraction after departing Point Mugu, the link may have caused the starboard wheel to be slightly out of line. As the fighter's weight settled onto the gear leg, the airframe may have swerved so sharply that the pilot was unable to maintain control. Repaired, this airframe is struck off charge on 27 June 2007, and is now displayed at Patriots Point, Charleston, South Carolina.
12 December
Arrow Air Flight 1285, a chartered Douglas DC-8-63CF,
N950JW, crashes just after take-off from Gander, Newfoundland, Canada, killing 256 people, of whom 248 were soldiers in the United States Army 101st Airborne Division returning from overseas duty in the Sinai desert, Egypt. This remains the greatest peacetime loss of military personnel in US history.
16 December
McDonnell-Douglas F-15D-37-MC Eagle,
84-0042, c/n 0909/D050, of the 3246th Test Wing, Armament Development and Test Center, Eglin AFB, Florida, crashes in the Gulf of Mexico, 53 miles SE of Eglin. The Armament Division commander, Col. Timothy F. O'Keefe, Jr., and Maj. Eugene F. Arnold, an instructor pilot with the 3247th Test Squadron at Eglin, eject safely.
2 January
A McDonnell Douglas F-15C-28-MC Eagle (s/n
80-0037; c/n 0692/C186) from the 57th FIS based at NAS Keflavik, Iceland, crashed into the northern Atlantic Ocean off the southeastern coast of Iceland. The pilot, Capt Steve Nelson, was killed when his aircraft struck the water at high speed after failing to safely complete a "split-S" maneuver during a low-altitude step-down training (LASDT) sortie. The instructor had planned the maneuver based on his own previous experience in training weapons school students at Nellis AFB in comparatively lightweight F-15As; however, the F-15C, with nearly full CFTs, was much heavier and could not physically complete the split-S despite starting the maneuver at 10,000'. The aircraft was never recovered.
28 January
The first United States multiple in-flight spaceflight fatalities. The Space Shuttle
Challenger,
OV-099, is destroyed 73 seconds after lift-off on STS-51-L. Analysis of the accident showed that a faulty O-ring seal had allowed hot gases from the shuttle solid rocket booster (SRB) to weaken the external propellant tank, and also the strut that held the booster to the tank. The tank aft region failed, causing it to begin disintegrating. The SRB strut also failed, causing the SRB to rotate inward and expedite tank breakup.
Challenger was thrown sideways into the Mach 1.8 (1,200 mph; 2,000 km/h) windstream causing it to break up in midair with the loss of all seven crew members aboard: Greg Jarvis, Christa McAuliffe, Ronald McNair, Ellison Onizuka, Judith Resnik, Michael J. Smith, and Dick Scobee. NASA investigators determined they may have survived during the spacecraft disintegration, while possibly unconscious from hypoxia; at least some of them tried to protect themselves by activating their emergency oxygen. Any survivors of the breakup were killed, however, when the largely intact cockpit hit the water at 200 mph (320 km/h). See Space Shuttle Challenger disaster.
12 February
A USAF General Dynamics F-16A Block 5 Fighting Falcon,
78-0055, flown by a pilot of the 3247th Test Squadron, 3246th Test Wing, disappears from Eglin Air Force Base's radar tracking screens at 1230 hrs., crashing in the Gulf of Mexico ~30 miles S of Okaloosa Island, Fort Walton Beach, Florida. The body of the pilot, Capt. Lawrence E. Lee, 31, of Kokomo, Indiana, is retrieved from the water by two rescue jumpers from a Sikorsky UH-60 Blackhawk at 1350 hrs., said Eglin public affairs officer Lt. Col. Bill Campbell. A parachute is found floating nearby. The pilot is thought to have drowned after ejecting from the fighter. "There were no radio transmissions ... nothing to indicate there were any problems", said Campbell. "We found no wreckage, so we can't be sure at this time what caused the crash. I don't know if we'll ever know for sure." Hypothermia may have been a factor in the pilot's death. The Gulf's water temperature averaged between 55 and 58 degrees Fahrenheit on Wednesday. Lee was performing what was to have been the aircraft's last test flight before it was returned to the Tactical Air Command. The F-16 had been modified for use in weapons tests by Eglin's Armament Division, then restored to its original condition. Campbell stated that he expects the Air Force will try to recover the wreckage to examine it for clues into the accident, although he acknowledged that such a crash "doesn't always leave much evidence." Lee is survived by his wife, Maj. Terri Lee, assigned to Eglin's 33rd Tactical Fighter Wing. A memorial service is held at 1 p.m. on 14 February in Eglin Base Chapel No. 2.
2 April
A T-38A-70 Talon jet trainer 67-14836, with a crew of two, student pilot Capt. Michael John Murphy, 26, of Biloxi, Miss. and Instructor Pilot 2nd Lt. William David Eberz, 23, of Shohola, Pa. Both crew members were assigned to the 97th Flying Training Squadron of the 82nd Flying Training Wing at Williams Air Force Base Arizona. The aircraft crashed while on a low-level training flight when it impacted the very steep terrain 800' below the peak of 7903' MSL Mazatzal Peak at 495 KIAS under controlled flight in instrument meteorological conditions. Both crew members were killed instantly. No attempts to eject were made. The crew had been flying a visual training route when they encountered a rapidly lowering cloud ceiling and apparently lost situational awareness and failed to clear the ascending terrain. Poor weather conditions prevented locating the wreckage until the next day.
May
A Mil Mi-8 helicopter, dropping lead pellets into the reactor area of the Chernobyl nuclear plant after it exploded on 26 April, suffers main rotor strike against a crane and crashes, killing the four crew.
7 May
Capt. Håkan Lundqvist is forced to eject from Saab Draken,
131, of F10 Wing of the Svenska Flygvapnet during an air defence sortie at low level in J2 sector outside the west coast of Sweden when he inadvertently flies through his wingman's vortices and goes into a superstall. Time from ejection until the fighter strikes the water is only 3 to 5 seconds. Pilot, suffering from spinal compression due to the ejection, is rescued by a ferry and then transferred to an F10 Wing helicopter.
22 May
US Navy Grumman A-6E Intruder, BuNo
162181, c/n I-674, of VA-65, bound for the USS
John F. Kennedy at Puerto Rico, crashes on take-off from NAS Oceana, Virginia Beach, Virginia, at 1105 hrs., killing two crew and one motorist on Oceana Boulevard. Aircraft had no munitions but carried a full fuel load and burst into flame as it came down just outside the station perimeter, killing pilot Lt. James P. Hoban, 26, of River Vale, New Jersey, and bombardier-navigator Lt. Michael F. Wilson, 27, of Medford, New Jersey, as well as Navy wife Tammy Fowler, 25, of Virginia Beach, in the vehicle on Oceana Boulevard. Navy officials said that this was the first Navy aircraft crash in the area in more than two years. Witnesses reported that the Intruder's tail appeared to be on fire as it came down.
17 June
Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker,
63-7983, c/n 18600, 305th Air Refueling Wing, Det. 1, TDY, hits the runway at Howard AB, Panama, becomes airborne again and then crashes into a hill in the jungle.
10 July
Two
Luftforsvaret F-16A Fighting Falcons collide over the Nellis Range. Fokker-built F-16A Block 15M,
80-3684/
684, c/n 6K-56, crashes at Rachel, Nevada, while Fokker-built F-16A Block 15M,
80-3686/
686, c/n 6K-58, returns to Nellis AFB. Pilot of
684 ejects safely.
2 September
Schweizer RG-8A,
85-0048, c/n 4, ex-civil registration N3623C, modified Schweizer SGS 2-32 motor glider for U.S. Army Grisly Hunter reconnaissance project. Crashed at Ft. Huachuca, Arizona, killing two-man crew.
19 October
República de Moçambique Tupolev Tu-134A-3,
C9-CAA, c/n 63457, with crew of nine and 35 passengers, crashes on approach at 2121 hrs. to Maputo International Airport (MPM/FQMA), Mozambique, after flight from Mbala Airport (MMQ), Zambia, killing eight crew and 26 passengers, including Mozambique President Samora Machel, who had attended a meeting of African leaders in Zambia. While approaching Maputo, an inadvertent selection of the MATSAPA VOR frequency caused the crew to execute a premature 37-degrees turn. Although the pilot queried the turn, no effort was made to verify it by using the available navigational aids. The aircraft descended below the 3000 feet limit in spite of not having visual contact with Maputo. The crew erroneously assumed a power failure at Maputo. A 32-second GPWS warning was ignored and the aircraft collided with the ground at 2187 feet, bounced and crashed into an uphill slope. The aircraft broke up, slid across the South African/Swaziland border and caught fire.
2 November
U.S. Coast Guard Sikorsky HH-3F Pelican
1473, c/n 61-635, out of CGAS Kodiak, on medical evacuation mission, strikes high cliff and falls to the beach below on Ugak Island, off Kodiak, Alaska; burns. KWF were LT Michael Clement Dollahite (CG Aviator #2148), LT Robert L. Carson, Jr., CDR David Meurice Rockmore, USPHS, ASM2 Kevin M. McCraken, AT3 William G. Kemp, HS3 Ralph D. King.
27 February
Royal Air Force Boeing Chinook HC.1
ZA721 crashed in the Falkland Islands, all seven on board killed.
March
Douglas A-4 Skyhawk crashed in desert near Fallon, Nevada, during a dog fight. Aileron on wing bent, began to spin the aircraft uncontrollably. Patrick Paris survived with a scratch on his nose, picked up by helicopter later that day. Had been assumed dead on impact until wingman saw movement on ground 6 miles from wreckage.
13 March
Japanese Air Self Defense Force Mitsubishi F-15J,
42-8840, of the 204
Hikōtai, crashes into the sea 100 miles E of Hyakuri Air Base, Japan, following suspected spatial disorientation. Pilot KWF.
21 March
Dean Martin's son, Dean Paul Martin (formerly Dino of the 60s "teeny-bopper" rock group Dino, Desi & Billy), dies when his McDonnell Douglas F-4C-25-MC Phantom II fighter,
64-0923, of the 196th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 184th Tactical Fighter Wing, crashes into San Gorgonio Mountain in the San Bernardino Mountains after take off from March Air Force Base, during a snow storm while flying with the California Air National Guard. His Weapon Systems Officer (WSO), Ramon Ortiz is also KWF. Wreckage found four days later just below summit.
12 May
Grumman A-6E Intruder, BuNo
155657, of VA-142, misses trap on the USS
Lexington, both crew eject as jet leaves deck, lightened airframe climbs away, even on reduced power, to crash in the Gulf of Mexico ~50 miles S of NAS Pensacola, Florida. This was the second-to-last flight accident involving the "Lady Lex" before the ship's retirement. Footage of this accident:
22 May
McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II of the 301st TFW crashed into Lake Worth on approach to Carswell AFB following a training mission at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. Pilot was killed. WSO ejected and was critically injured.
5 June
US Marine Corps AV-8B-4 Harrier II, BuNo.
162073, of VMA-331, crashes into Barnegat Bay, New Jersey, when the engine flames out.
24 June
RAF SEPECAT Jaguar GR.1A,
XZ386, '05', of 226 OCU, suffers loss of control/controlled flight into terrain three miles (5 km.) SE of Builth Wells, Powys, Wales. Pilot KWF.
17 September
McDonnell-Douglas KC-10A Extender,
82-0190, c/n 48212, written off in ramp fire after explosion while undergoing maintenance at Barksdale AFB, Louisiana, killing crew chief.
22 September
A U.S. Navy Grumman F-14A-70-GR Tomcat, BuNo
162707, of VF-74 out of NAS Oceana, Virginia Beach, Virginia, operating from the USS
Saratoga, accidentally shoots down a USAF RF-4C-22-MC Phantom II,
69-0381, 'ZR' tailcode, of the 26th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, out of Zweibrücken Air Base, West Germany, at 1550 hrs. EDT over the Mediterranean during a NATO exercise, DISPLAY DETERMINATION. Both RF-4C crew eject, pilot Capt. Michael Ross of Portsmouth, Ohio, and WSO Lt. Randy Sprouse of Sumter, South Carolina, both of the 38th TRS, and are rescued by a helicopter from the
Saratoga within 30 minutes, suffering numerous injuries. A Navy spokesman said that the F-14 downed the RF-4C with an air-to-air missile, but did not know whether it was a Phoenix, a Sparrow or a Sidewinder. This was likely due to insufficient information being relayed to the spokesman; recovery of the F-14 aboard
Saratoga makes it obvious the missile was an AIM-9 Sidewinder. When told by the
Saratoga's Admiral that they had been shot down, Sprouse remarks "I thought we were supposed to be on the same side?" to which the Admiral replies "We're sorry about this, but most of the time we are." The Tomcat pilot is duly disciplined and permanently removed from flying status.
28 September
A USAF B-1B Lancer,
84-0052, c/n 12, of the 7th Bomb Wing, Dyess AFB, Texas, crashes near La Junta, Colorado, following impact with an American white pelican. Three crew members eject safely, one killed due to an ejection seat malfunction. Two additional crew members die due to lack of time and proper flight conditions to accomplish manual bailout. Aircraft destroyed on impact. "The Air Force, which said no weapons were aboard the aircraft, said the last radio transmission from the crew reported that two of the bomber's four engines were on fire. The F.A.A. said the aircraft was at 15,500 feet when the radio report came in, suggesting that the pilot had climbed after the collision in an effort to save the aircraft or give the crew time to parachute." The Air Force disclosed on 28 September "that the survivors of the crash were Capt. Joseph S. Butler, 33 years old, of Rocky Mount, N.C., a student defensive officer; Capt. Lawrence H. Haskell, 33, of Harrisburg, Pa., a student aircraft commander, and Maj. William H. Price, 42, of Yuma, Ariz., an instructor in offensive systems. They were said to be in good condition. The three who were killed were Maj. James T. Acklin, 37, of Champaign, Ill., an instructor pilot, First Lieut. Ricky M. Bean, 27, of Farmington, Me., a student pilot, and Maj, Wayne D. Whitlock, 39, of Johnson City, Tenn., an instructor in defensive systems."
14 October
An Lockheed F-117A Nighthawk,
83-815, of the 4450th Tactical Group, piloted by Maj. Michael C. Stewart, callsign
BURNR ("burner")
54, crashes at 2033 hrs., ~100 miles N of Nellis AFB, just E of Tonopah. Stewart was just 40 minutes into a routine single-ship sortie when his aircraft crashed into the gently sloping terrain 60 miles E of Alamo, Nevada, pilot KWF. Cause is thought to be spatial disorientation – pilot made no attempt to eject.
20 October
USAF LTV A-7D-4-CV Corsair II,
69-6207, of the 4450th Tactical Group, Nellis AFB, Nevada, loses all power 15 miles S of Indianapolis, Indiana, at 31,000 feet while en route from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Tinker AFB, Oklahoma. Pilot tries to dead-stick into Indianapolis International Airport but receives poor direction from air traffic controllers and crashes at ~0915 hrs. during late turn after aiming aircraft at a baseball field but fighter veers, striking bank branch roof and hitting center of Ramada Inn across the street, killing nine employees, injuring five others (one of whom died later as a result of the injuries sustained). Pilot Maj. Bruce L. Teagarden, 35, ejected, suffering bruises and muscle strain. He lands in parking lot of Ace Supply Company, four blocks from the hotel. Air Force pays out $50,427 in property claims damages, according to
The New York Times on 26 October. This A-7D was part of the unit then secretly operating Lockheed F-117A Nighthawk stealth aircraft but this was successfully kept out of the media for several years.
19 November
EA-6B Prowler BoNo. 162226/NF-606 of VAQ-136, US Navy. Missing on operations November 19, 1987: Loss occurred during a night Emcon departure from the USS Midway (CVA-41) while rounding the tip of India heading into the North Arabian Sea. Cause of the accident was unknown. Search by helicopters that night and fixed wing aircraft the next day found no trace of wreckage or the four crew. All four crew were killed - LT John Carter (pilot), Commander Justin (Noel) Greene (Commanding Officer of VAQ-136) Lt Doug Hora and Lt Dave Gibson - were all posted initially as "missing". This was later changed to KIAS/lost at sea (body not recovered). The landing was to be Commander Greene's 1000th trap, so there was cake awaiting in the ready room.
https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=57214
10 February
The pilot of a General Dynamics F-16A Block 15J Fighting Falcon,
82-0909, c/n 61-0502, ejected safely when his aircraft caught fire and crashed on take-off at Moody Air Force Base in south Georgia. Problems occurred during a routine practice flight. Witnesses said the aircraft climbed straight into the air during take-off and exploded into flames before hitting the ground. The aircraft was assigned to Moody.
11 February
USMC McDonnell-Douglas AV-8B-4 Harrier II, BuNo
162071, c/n 512020/20, of VMA-331, crashes at Nellis AFB, Nevada, following engine flame-out. Note: another source gives this crash date as 11 February 1998.
25 February
A US Army Boeing-Vertol CH-47D Chinook helicopter,
86-01643, of 2nd Platoon, Company A, 2nd Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment, 47th Hospital, 214th Field Artillery Brigade, 3rd Corps, Forces Command (FORSCOM), located at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, crashes outside Chico, Texas, killing 10 soldiers and injuring 8, most with burns. The helicopter caught fire mid-flight due to the failure and disintegration of the number two transmission and driveshaft, and the brave pilots attempted an emergency landing, but the billowing smoke and passenger movements made it impossible. The helicopter hit the ground at 150 mph, breaking apart in a sheet of fire. This was originally the first B-model Chinook,
66-19121, which was converted in 1986 to D-model status.
7 March
An Northrop F-5E Tiger II crashed on take-off from Tyndall Air Force Base near Panama City, Florida. Lt. Col Charles Lemire of Mesa, Arizona, died in the crash. The aircraft had made a stop at the base before resuming a cross-country training mission. The pilot was trying to eject when the jet hit a wooded area off the end of the runway, according to a base spokesman. The pilot and aircraft were assigned to a squadron at Williams Air Force Base near Phoenix, Arizona. The squadron is part of the 405th Tactical Training Wing at Luke Air Force Base near Phoenix.
8 March
Two Sikorsky UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, collided on a night training mission. They were flying at 92 mph air speed and about 250 feet from the ground when they collided a Fort Campbell spokesman said. The Army identified three of the dead as Staff Sgt. Charles L. Shirley, 21, of Arkansas; Sgt. Dennis Sabot, 28, of Iowa; and Spec. 4 Samuel A. Hintz, 23, of Ohio, all from the 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry. A total of 17 soldiers were killed in the crash.
24 April
Marine Corps Colonel Jerry Cadick, then commanding officer of MAG-11, was performing stunts at the MCAS El Toro Air Show. California, before a crowd of 300,000 when he crashed his McDonnell-Douglas F/A-18 Hornet at the bottom of a loop that was too close to the ground. [20] The aircraft was in a nose-high attitude, but still carrying too much energy toward the ground when it impacted at more than 300 mph (480 km/h). Col. Cadick was subjected to extremely high G forces that resulted in his face making contact with the control stick and sustaining serious injury. He broke his arm, elbow and ribs, exploded a vertebra and collapsed a lung. Col. Cadick survived and retired from the Marine Corps. The F/A-18 remained largely intact but was beyond repair.
6 May
Royal Air Force Boeing Chinook HC.1
ZA672 hit a pier at Hanover Airport while taxiing and was destroyed, 3 crew killed.
8 June
USAF C-130E, "61-2373" call sign Demon 51, on a routine C-130 training mission to Greenville, Miss., perished near the Greenville airport after practicing touch-and-go landings. Killing all 6 crew members. Maj. Andy Zwaan, a 189 AW instructor pilot; 2nd Lt. Mark Brandt, a Missouri Air National Guard student pilot; 2nd Lt. Thomas Leece, an Air Force Reserve student pilot from Minnesota; Master Sgt. Ed Smith Jr., a 189 AW instructor flight engineer; Master Sgt. Danny Holland, a 189 AW instructor loadmaster; and Staff Sgt. David Bingham, a Texas Air National Guard student flight engineer.
9 June
U.S. Army Bell UH-1H,
68-15387, of the 193rd Aviation Company, 56th Field Artillery Command, strikes a power line during low visibility conditions and crashes near Hittistetten, Senden, West Germany, killing three soldiers.
12 July
U.S. Navy North American CT-39E Sabreliner, BuNo
158381, c/n 282-93, ex-
N4701N, en route from Singapore to Subic Bay Naval Station, Philippines, comes down in the afternoon in the South China Sea near the Spratly Island archipelago, after radioing a distress signal of equipment failure. Vietnamese Navy ship (described by Joe Baugher as a fishing vessel) picks up three American crew, two men and one woman, said a spokesman at the Vietnamese embassy in Bangkok on 15 July, and took them to Vietnam where they were being "treated very kindly". Arrangements would be made to repatriate the crew. At this time the United States and Vietnam had not yet reestablished diplomatic relations.
13 July
US Marine Corps McDonnell-Douglas AV-8B-3 Harrier II, BuNo
161582, c/n 512014/14, of VMAT-203, crashes at MCAS Cherry Point, North Carolina.
10 August
US Navy Kaman SH-2F Seasprite, BuNo
161910, Assigned to HSL-35 NAS North Island. Aircraft suffered tail structure failure and loss of directional control, crashed into ocean approximately 30 miles off Point Loma while returning from weapons training exercise at NALF San Celemente Island, the co-pilot (Lt. Walt Hogan) perished in the crash, the other 3 crew-members survived
17 August
A PAF Lockheed C-130B Hercules,
23494, 'R' (ex-USAF
62-3494), c/n 3708, crashes near the Pakistani town of Bahawalpur, killing everyone aboard, including the President of Pakistan General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, American Ambassador to Pakistan Arnold Lewis Raphel, Head of Pakistan's military intelligence General Akther Abdul Rehman and nearly all of the top military brass of the Pakistan Army.
18 August
Aleksandr V. Shchukin, a test pilot for the eventually scrapped Buran shuttle program, is killed when his Sukhoi Su-26M crashes this date.
28 August
Three of the ten Aermacchi MB-339PAN jets from the Italian Air Force display team Frecce Tricolori collide in mid-air in front of the audience while performing their 'pierced heart' formation. One aircraft crashes directly into the crowd. Sixty-seven spectators and all three pilots are killed and 346 seriously injured in the resulting explosion and fire.
12 September
An Grumman F-14A-95-GR Tomcat, BuNo
160409, of VF-143, (also reported as VF-124) suffers an all hydraulic system failure and crashes inverted into a hangar at Gillespie Field, a civil airport in El Cajon, California, San Diego County while attempting to return to NAS Miramar. The pilot, Lt. Cmdr. Jim Barnett, 36, a flight instructor with 10 years of experience flying F-14s, managed to point the crippled jet towards the landing strip at Gillespie Field to reduce civilian casualties, and both he and his backseater, Lt. (j.g.) Randy L. Furtado, 27, a radar intercept officer who was undergoing training, ejected, suffering injuries. The RIO landed in power lines and suffered a fatal broken neck. The crash injured 3 on the ground and destroyed or damaged 19 aircraft and 13 vehicles.
11 October
Boeing KC-135A-BN refueling tanker,
60-0317, c/n 18092, crashes on landing at Wurtsmith AFB, Michigan; aircraft is destroyed and six of 17 on board are killed.
18 November
B-1B Lancer strategic bomber, "85-0076", crashes on landing at Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota; aircraft is destroyed all four crewmembers survived.
5 December
A U.S. Navy Grumman EA-6B Prowler, BuNo
163044, 'NG', of VAQ-139, goes missing over the Pacific Ocean during training exercise 900 miles off San Diego. Search fails to find any sign of the four crew.
6 December
A USAF Boeing B-52H-150-BW Stratofortress,
60-0040, crashed on the runway at 0115 hrs. EST at K.I. Sawyer AFB, Michigan, while doing touch-and-goes after a seven-hour training flight. No weapons were aboard the bomber, which broke into three parts. All crew survived, crawling or being helped from the nose section, without sustaining burns.
8 December
A USAF Fairchild-Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II crashes into the West German town of Remscheid. The pilot and five residents are killed, and a further 50 people injured.
3 January
Oregon Air National Guard McDonnell-Douglas F-4C Phantom II,
63-7626 (?), of 123rd FIS/Oregon ANG from Portland, Oregon, crashes on a training mission ~30 miles off Tillamook Bay, injuring both crew, who were plucked from the Pacific Ocean, authorities said.
4 January
A female U.S. Navy airman of VA-42, was struck and killed by an Grumman A-6 Intruder being towed from a hangar at NAS Oceana, Virginia Beach, Virginia. The airman, whose name was withheld pending notification of family, was walking beside a wing of the attack bomber as it was being towed by a small tractor from the hangar to the flight-line, a Navy spokesman said.
4 January
The Second Gulf of Sidra incident occurs when two USN Grumman F-14 Tomcats shoot down two Libyan Air Force MiG-23's.
29 January
A RCAF Lockheed CC-130E Hercules,
130318, formerly
10318, c/n 4124, of 435 Squadron, participating in annual Brim Frost exercises, hits runway approach lights and a river bank short of the runway and crashes onto the runway at 6:47pm local time at Wainwright AAF, Alaska in ice fog at −51 degrees Fahrenheit. Nine of the eighteen occupants are killed.
2 February
The first prototype JAS 39 Gripen crashed on its sixth flight when landing in Linköping as a result of pilot-induced oscillation. The accident was filmed in a now famous recording by a crew from Sveriges Television's Aktuellt. The pilot remained in the tumbling aircraft, and escaped miraculously with just a fractured arm.
20 February
Lockheed C-141B Starlifter,
66-0150, c/n 300-6176, of the 63d MAW, Norton AFB, California, crashed in stormy weather four miles N of Hurlburt Field, Florida while trying to land, killing seven crew and one military retiree. The aircraft's crew were identified as Capt. Mark J. Chambers, 30; Capt. John F. Young, 30; Master Sgt. Robert E. Wright Jr., 37; Tech. Sgt. Ronald D. Grubbs, 29; Staff Sgt. Karl M. Kohler, 32; Airman 1st Class Scott D. Craig, 22; Staff Sgt. John W. Remerscheid, 33. Remerscheid was assigned to the 14th Military Airlift Squadron at Norton. The others were assigned to the 52nd Military Airlift Squadron. The eighth man on board was identified by Hurlburt Field spokeswoman as retired Air Force Capt. John G. Galvin of Jacksonville, Florida.
13 April
Two U.S. Navy North American T-2C Buckeyes, BuNos.
156694, 'A 994' and
159724, 'A 996' of VT-19, suffer mid-air collision and crash near Macon, Mississippi, killing two crew of one, but two crew of other parachute safely.
20 April
Doru Davidovici, Romanian poet and pilot, loses his life, together with Dumitru Petra, this date, when their MiG-21UM trainer crashes during landing procedures while returning home to RoAF 86th Air Base, Borcea-Fetesti AFB, from a training flight.
21 April
Lockheed SR-71A,
61-7974, Article 2025, outbound on operational sortie from Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, suffers engine explosion, total hydraulic failure. Pilot Maj. Dan E. House and RSO Capt. Blair L. Bozek both eject safely. This was the final Blackbird loss before the type was withdrawn from service.
1 May
A Tyndall Air Force Base McDonnell-Douglas F-15 Eagle crashed in the Gulf of Mexico about 65 miles southeast of Tyndall, killing the student pilot who was identified as 2nd Lt. Sean P. Murphy, 23, of Warsaw, Indiana. At the time of the crash the pilot was engaged in a mock dogfight with his instructor who was flying a second F-15. The pilot was assigned to Tyndall's 95th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron.
15 May
US Navy North American CT-39E Sabreliner, BuNo
158383, 'JK', of VRC-40, NAS Norfolk, Virginia, runs off runway at Andrews AFB, Maryland, at 1100 hrs. Crew of four and one passenger uninjured.
4 July
A "runaway" Soviet Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23M (
Flogger-B), bort number 29, crashes into a farmhouse in Belgium, killing an 18-year-old man.
6 July
One of two McDonnell-Douglas F-15 Eagles of the 33rd TFW, Eglin AFB, Florida, engaged in 2V2 (two versus 2) aerial combat maneuvers with two Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcons of the Alabama Air National Guard, crashes at 1456 hrs. near Lamison, Alabama a small community ~80 miles SW of Montgomery, the pilot, Capt. Leo Moore of the 58th Tactical Fighter Squadron, ejecting safely. Moore, unhurt, is rescued less than an hour later, said Sandy Mau, a Selma Times-Journal reporter, by an Air National Guard helicopter vectored to him from Danley Field by the F-16 pilots who were flying close enough to Moore to pinpoint his location, said S/Sgt. Dave Beaulieu, 33rd TFW spokesman. Tim Henderson, of nearby Millers Ferry, said that he saw Moore's jet flying low across his pasture minutes before the crash. "It was flying maybe a little over the treetops, very low", Henderson said. "He wasn't flying very fast to be flying so low, and it kind of sounded like the engine was cutting out." The fighter impacted on a ridge in a rural, virtually inaccessible area and Air Force investigators were having difficulty reaching the site, said Mau. The Eagle was completely destroyed. "It just burned up", said Beaulieu. The two F-15s had departed from Eglin at ~1410 hrs. to rendezvous with the F-16s. Moore's fighter was carrying an inert infrared-guided Sidewinder, Beaulieu said. He didn't know how much training the airmen got in before the crash, which occurred ~120 miles NE of Eglin. The pilot underwent a medical check at Eglin regional Hospital and then was sent home, said Beaulieu. "He's fine. He's pretty shaken up, but doing well."
19 July
A U.S. Navy McDonnell-Douglas F/A-18 Hornet from Cecil Field, NAS Jacksonville, Florida, loses a 950-pound training bomb over Waldo, Florida, in the afternoon. The ordnance narrowly misses home with four inside, bounces off tree, skips over a second home, and impacts in a field where the spotting charge explodes. No one is injured in the incident. Navy spokesman Bert Byers states that the pilot lost track of the bomb after it fell off the jet.
20 September
Lockheed L-188PF Electra,
6-P-1, c/n 1123, of Armada Argentina, Comando de Aviación Naval, crashes and breaks up at ~12:05 hrs following a loss of control during a go around at Trelew-Almirante Zar Naval Base in Argentina. There are no fatalities amongst 23 Navy personnel on board. "Almirante Zar base commander Captain Miguel Robles told a news conference that the plane's pilot, the co-pilot and the flight engineer were badly injured and others suffered minor injuries. Lijo said most of the passengers got out by their own means."
4 October
U.S. Air Force, Boeing KC-135A-BN Stratotanker,
56-3592, from Loring AFB Maine, crashed on final approach near Carlingford, New Brunswick, Canada after a fuel pump ignited vapor in the main tank. The in-flight explosion rendered the aircraft uncontrollable. All 4 crewmembers were killed.
15 October
A U.S. Air Force General Dynamics F-16D Block 32F Fighting Falcon,
87-0369, c/n 5D-63, from Luke AFB, Arizona, crashed in the middle of the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress parking ramp at Carswell AFB, Texas, during a simulated airfield attack for an Operational Readiness Inspection for the 301st Tactical Fighter Wing (AFRES). The two pilots aboard the F-16D were both killed. Three B-52H aircraft parked nearby suffered minor damage.
29 October
U.S. Navy North American T-2C Buckeye, BuNo
158876, of VT-19, crashes into Vultures' Row on the island of training carrier USS
Lexington during a wave-off approach, operating in the Gulf of Mexico 22 miles S of NAS Pensacola, Florida, killing five and injuring 20. Killed were the student pilot, three seamen, and a civilian employee of the Navy. This was the last aviation accident on the Lady Lex before her retirement to a museum ship at Corpus Christi, Texas Killed in the crash were the pilot, Ensign Steven E. Pontell, 23, Columbia, Maryland, who was alone in the two-seat trainer;
Lexington crewmen Petty Officer 3rd Class Burnett Kilgore Jr., 19, Holly Springs, Mississippi; Petty Officer 3rd Class Timmy L. Garroutte, 30, Memphis, Tennessee; Airman Lisa L. Mayo, 25, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; and a civilian employee of DynCorp who had the contract to maintain Navy aircraft, Byron Gervis Courvelle, 32, Meridian, Mississippi.
9 November
A U.S. Navy LTV A-7E Corsair II jet fighter, of VA-205, preparing to land at Naval Air Station Atlanta, Dobbins Air Force Base, Georgia, piloted by LCDR Robert Conlyn, Jr., crashes into the Pine Village North apartment complex in Smyrna, Georgia, and bursts into flames. Two civilians killed; four civilians injured. Among the dead, a pregnant 24-year-old woman. Her five-year-old daughter survived with burns over half her body. Conlyn, call sign Cougar, stayed with the aircraft until the last possible moment. Conlyn suffered serious injuries but survived.
30 November
An Douglas A-4F Skyhawk—Bureau Number
152101, tail number '2101', c/n 13489, assigned to the US Navy Top Gun school, crashed short of the runaway at NAS Miramar, north of San Diego, California. The cause of the crash was loss of power to the engine. The pilot, Lt. Cmdr. Stanley R. O'Connor, an instructor in the Top Gun school, ejected safely. This airframe had been ordered as the final A-4E but was delivered as the first A-4F model.
1 December
A leased CASA 212-300 Aviocar,
88–320,
N296CA, c/n 296, operated by the US Army Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM) for testing duties, crashes at NAS Patuxent River, Maryland. The crew had been conducting tests of tracking equipment during the short flight from Davison AAF at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. Aircraft crashed and sank into the water ~ 50 yards off shore, in 45 feet water, reportedly because the flight crew inadvertently selected "beta range" on the propellers at 800 feet, stalled and crashed into the river. Pilot CW4 Gaylord M. Bishop, copilot CW4 Howard E. Morton, SPC Peter Rivera-Santos, PFC Mark C. Elkins, and CIV Ronald N. Whiteley Jr. KWF.
28 December
McDonnell-Douglas F-15C-41-MC Eagle.
86-0153, c/n 1000/C381, of the 59th TFS, 33rd TFW, based at Eglin AFB, crashes in the Gulf of Mexico, 40 miles SE of Apalachicola, Florida, pilot killed. The pilot was identified as Capt. Bartle M. Jackson, 31, Towson, Maryland. At the time of the crash, Jackson and three other pilots—a second F-15 pilot from Eglin and two Lockheed Martin F-16 pilots from Moody Air Force Base, Georgia, were taking part in a training mission the Air Force calls a 2v2, which pits two F-15s against two F-16s in a mock dogfight. It was not known whether the pilot had been able to bail out over the Gulf of Mexico. Other pilots in the area had not seen a parachute.
