*Summer - Prototype [[Junkers Ju 87]]V1, fitted with a pair of vertical fins, suffers tail section oscillation during medium-angle test dive, loses starboard fin during attempted recovery, crashes at [[Dessau, Germany]]. All subsequent Ju 87s have single fin tail unit.
*[[October 30]] - Prototype [[Boeing Model 299]], the future [[B-17]], crashes on take-off from [[Wright Field]] , [[Ohio]], due to locked control surfaces, killing early military aviator and test pilot Maj. [[Ployer Peter Hill]]. [[Ogden Air Depot]], [[Utah]], renamed [[Hill Field]] on [[December 1]], [[1939]].
*[[October 30]] - Prototype [[Boeing Model 299]], the future [[B-17]], crashes on take-off from [[Wright Field]] , [[Ohio]], due to locked control surfaces, killing early military aviator and test pilot Maj. [[Ployer Peter Hill]]. [[Ogden Air Depot]], [[Utah]], renamed [[Hill Field]] on [[December 1]], [[1939]].
This is a list of notable accidents and incidents involving military aircraft grouped by the year in which the accident or incident occurred. For more exhaustive lists, see the Aircraft Crash Record Office or the Air Safety Network.
October 22: 1st Lt. Harold R. Harris becomes the first member of the U.S. Army Air Service to save his life by parachute, when the LoeningPW-2A he is testing out of McCook Field, Ohio, suffers vibration, loses part of left wing or aileron, so he parts company with the airframe, landing safely.[1]
1923
September 23 - 1st Lts. Robert S. Olmsted and John W. Shoptaw enter U.S. Army balloon S-6 in international balloon race from Brussels, despite threatening weather which causes some competitors to drop out. Lightning strikes S-6 over Nistelrode, Holland, killing Olmsted outright, and Shoptaw in the fall.[1]Middletown Air Depot, Pennsylvania, was later renamed Olmsted AFB.
Summer - Prototype Junkers Ju 87V1, fitted with a pair of vertical fins, suffers tail section oscillation during medium-angle test dive, loses starboard fin during attempted recovery, crashes at Dessau, Germany. All subsequent Ju 87s have single fin tail unit.
April 9 - P-38G-10-LO, 42-12937, flown by Col. Ben Kelsey, gets into inverted spin during dive flap test, loses one wing and entire tail section. Kelsey bails out, suffers broken ankle, while P-38 hits flat on hillside near Calabasas, California.[2]
July 31 - Noted aviation pioneer and author Antoine de Saint-Exupéry vanishes without a trace while flying a Free French ForcesLockheedF-5, a variant of the P-38 Lightning, over the Mediterranean Sea; his fate remains a mystery until 2004 when the wreckage of his plane is discovered. While the cause of the crash is unknown, analysis of the wreckage and enemy wartime records suggests that the crash was an accident unrelated to enemy action.
August 17 - Two B-29 Superfortress bombers collide over Weatherford, Texas during a bomber training exercise. 18 crew members were killed instantly, 2 managed to escape from the falling wreckage and parachute to safety.
July 7 - Eccentric, iconoclastic millionaire and aviator Howard Hughes is gravely injured when he mishandles a propeller pitch control failure and crashes his controversial XF-11 reconnaissance plane during its maiden flight.
February 21 - United States Air ForceB-29 Superfortress "Kee Bird" runs out of fuel due to a navigational error and is forced to land in a remote area of northern Greenland. The aircrew is rescued unharmed 3 days later, but the plane is abandoned in place. The accident achieves continuing notability for the exceptionally fortuitous rescue and later for a well-publicized and ultimately disastrous 1994 recovery attempt.
February 22 - On its 102nd flight, the USAF XF-89, 46-678, crashed near Hawthorne, California during a high-speed low pass for Air Force officials. Right horizontal stabilizer peeled off, aircraft disintegrated, throwing pilot Charles Tucker clear, parachuted safely, but flight engineer Arthur Turton died in mishap. Cause was found to be high-frequency, low-amplitude flutter of both the vertical and horizontal stabilizers.
April 11 - A USAFB-29 on a routine flight crashes into mountain three minutes after take-off from Kirtland AFB, New Mexico, killing 13 crew. One fully-assembled bomb casing (probably a Mark 4 nuclear bomb) on board is completely shattered when triggers explode. A fuel capsule, carried separately, is recovered.[3]
July 13 - A USAFB-50D-110-BO, 49-267, of the 97th Bomb Wing out of Biggs AFB, Texas, carrying a nuclear weapon bomb casing (but no fuel capsule), stalls at 7,000 feet at about 2:54 p.m. EST, crashes between Lebanon, Ohio and Mason, Ohio, killing four officers and twelve airmen.[3] No radio communication was received before the crash, and although all crew wore parachutes, none bailed out. HE in bomb casing explodes on impact leaving crater 200X25 feet, explosion heard for 25 miles. One account states that the weather was clear, but Joe Baugher reports that bomber was in a storm system.
August 5 - A USAFB-29 Superfortress carrying a Mark 4 nuclear bomb, suffers two runaway propellers, as well as landing gear problems on takeoff at Fairfield-Suisun Air Force Base, Fairfield, California, USA. Attempts emergency landing, crashes. The nuclear bomb's high-explosive trigger detonates, causing a huge chain-reaction explosion that kills 19 aboard the plane and on the ground, including mission commander Brig. Gen. Robert F. Travis; the airfield is later renamed Travis Air Force Base in his honor.[3] The Air Force official explanation was that the Superfortress was carrying ten to twelve conventional 500 pound bombs.
November 10 - A USAFB-50 on a routine weapons ferrying flight between Goose Bay, Labrador and its home base at Davis-Monthan AFB, New Mexico, loses two of four engines. To maintain altitude it jettisons empty Mark 4 nuclear bomb casing just before 4 p.m. at 10,500 feet above the St. Lawrence River near the town of St. Alexandre-de-Kamouraska, about 90 miles NE of Quebec, Canada. HE in the casing observed detonating upon impact in the middle of the twelve-mile-wide river, blast felt for 25 miles. Official Air Force explanation at the time is that the Superfortress released three conventional 500-pound HE bombs.[3]
March 23 - A United States Air ForceC-124 Globemaster II, 49-244, c.n. 43173, of the 2nd Strategic Support Squadron, missing over the Atlantic Ocean; wreckage found near Ireland. 53 died, including Gen. Paul Cullen and his command staff.
September 16 - A damaged F2H-2 Bansheejet fighter, BuNo 124968, returning to the US Navy aircraft carrierUSS Essex (CV-9) misses the recovery net and crashes into several planes parked on the ship's deck, killing 7 people and destroying 4 aircraft. This crash led the USN to equip all future carriers with angled flight decks for safer airplane recovery.
1952
January 12 - Prototype RAFVickers Valiant, WB210, catches fire during in-flight relight trials, crew bails out but co-pilot, Squadron Leader Foster, is killed when his ejection seat strikes tail.
September 1 - Several tornados sweep across Carswell AFB, Texas destroying B-36B-10-CF, 44-92051, and damaging 82 others of the 7th and 11th Bomb Wings, including ten at the Convair plant on the other side of the Fort Worth base. Gen. Curtis LeMay is forced to remove the 19th Air Division from the war plan, and the base went on an 84-hour work week until repairs were made. 26 B-36s were returned to Convair for repairs, and the last aircraft deemed repairable was airborne again on May 11, 1953.[4]
May 13 - On seventh and final flight of Northrop N-69A test vehicle for the SM-62 Snark, only two of which were successful, mission was cut short when the missile collided with its T-33A photo plane.[3]
January 10 - The most notorious incident of aircraft pitch-up known as the "Sabre dance" was the loss of F-100C-20-NA Super Sabre 54-1907 during an attempted emergency landing at Edwards AFB, California which was caught by film cameras set up for an unrelated test. The pilot fought to retain control as he rode the edge of the flight envelope, but fell off on one wing, hit the ground, and exploded with fatal results. These scenes were inserted in the movie The Hunters, starring Robert Mitchum and Robert Wagner.
June 9 - A GrummanF9F Panther fighter jet flown by a USMC Reserve pilot crashes into a row of houses near Wold-Chamberlain Field, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. In addition to killing the pilot, the crash kills 5 and injures 12 on the ground, most of whom are young children. This is the second time in 5 days that a military jet operating from this airport crashes and kills multiple civilians on the ground.
October 1 - The RAF's first Avro Vulcan B 1, XA897, which completed a fly-the-flag mission to New Zealand in September, approaches Heathrow in bad weather on GCA approach, crashing short of the runway. Two pilots eject, but four crew do not have ejection seats and are killed. Aircraft Captain Squadron Leader "Podge" Howard and co-pilot Air Marshal Sir Harry Broadhurst survive. Signal delays in the primitive Ground-Controlled Approach system of the time may have let the aircraft descend too low without being warned. Undercart damaged in contact short of runway with control lost during attempted go-around.
December 5: An SM-62 Snark, 53-8172, N-69D test model, fitted with new 24 hour stellar inertial guidance system, launches from Cape CanaveralMissile Test Annex, Florida, wanders off-course, ignores destruct command, disappears over Brazil. It is found by a farmer in January 1983.[3]
May 31 - A Royal Canadian NavyMcDonnellF2H-3 Banshee fighter jet spirals out of control and crashes, killing its pilot, after its right wing breaks in half during a high-speed flyby at naval air station HMCS Shearwater, Nova Scotia, Canada. The crash is attributed to improperly manufactured fittings in the folding wing mechanism, and most RCN and US Navy Banshees are grounded until improved fittings can be installed.
December 12 – A U.S. Air ForceB-52 crashes on takeoff at Fairchild AFB near Spokane, Washington. All crew members are killed except the tail gunner. The incident is caused by trim motors that were hooked up backwards. The aircraft climbed straight up, stalled, fell over backwards and nosed straight down.
1958
January 31 - During simulated Strategic take-off from overseas base, a USAFB-47 suffers failure of left-rear landing gear, tail strikes ground, rupturing fuel tank. Aircraft burns. Fortunately, nuclear weapon on board, in strike configuration, does not detonate.[3]
February – A US DouglasC-118A Liftmaster military transport and a U.S. Navy P2V-5F Neptune patrol bomber, collided over Norwalk (a suburb of Los Angeles), California at night. 47 servicemen were killed as well as a 23-year-old civilian woman on the ground who was hit by falling debris. A plaque commemorating the disaster was erected by the American Legion in 1961 at the location of the accident, the corner of Firestone Boulevard and Pioneer Boulevard.
September 8 – Two B-52s collide over the town of Airway Heights near Fairchild AFB. Thirteen crew members are killed, while three survive. There were no casualties on the ground.
September 30 - A Rolls Royce test pilot flying an Avro Vulcan in an airshow at RAF Syerston pulls up too hard after a high-speed flyby and exceeds the airframe's structural limits, collapsing the plane's right wing. The craft spirals out of control and crashes, killing the entire aircrew and 3 people on the ground.
November 4 - A USAFB-47 catches fire during take-off from Dyess AFB, Texas, crashes from 1,500 feet altitude. Three crew eject, okay, one killed. Fire sets off single bomb casing on board, creating crater 35X6 feet. Some tritium contamination at crash site.
November 26 - A USAFB-47 on Alert Status at Chennault AFB, Louisiana, accidentally ignites assisted take-off bottles, is pushed off runway into tow vehicle, catches fire, completely destroying single nuclear weapon on board. Contamination limited to area within aircraft wreckage.
October 15 - A USAFB-52F-100-BO, 57-036, collides with KC-135 tanker, 57-1513, over Hardinsberg, Kentucky, crashes with two nuclear weapons on board, killing four of eight on the bomber and all four tanker crew. One bomb partially burned in fire, but both are recovered intact.[3] Bombs moved to the AEC's Clarkesville, Tennessee storage site for inspection and dismantlement. Both aircraft deployed from Columbus AFB, Mississippi.
August 12 - RAFVickers Valiant Bk.1 XD864 crashes at Spanhoe 3 minutes after take of from RAF Wittering Cambs. Five crew killed, Captain blamed as negligent, but AAIB fail to investigate fractured centre plane-spar found at the scene.[5]
January 24: A USAFB-52G-95-BW, 58-0187, on airborne alert suffers structural failure, fuel leak, of starboard wing over Goldsboro, North Carolina, wing fails when flaps are engaged during emergency approach to Seymour Johnson AFB, two weapons on board break loose during airframe disintegration, one parachutes safely to ground, second impacts on marshy farm land, breaks apart, sinks into quagmire. Air Force excavates fifty feet down, finds no trace of bomb, forcing permanent digging easement on site. Five of eight crew survive.[3]
March 14: Failure of a pressurization system forces USAFB-52 to fly low, accelerating fuel-burn, bomber has fuel starvation at 10,000 feet over Yuba City, California, crashes, killing aircraft commander. Two nuclear weapons on board tear loose on impact but no explosion or contamination takes place.[3]
June 13: A United States NavyGrummanS-2 Tracker lost complete power in one engine and partial power in the other. Flying instructor Lt.j.g Loren Vern Page, 24, died 6 hours later at Iberia Parish Hospital, in New Iberia, Louisiana. He intentionally attempted ditching the aircraft in Spanish Lake, near the Naval Auxiliary Air Station, New Iberia, after losing power. Students Lt.j.g. Donald L. Miller and a second unnamed student were both hospitalized with treatable injuries. Lt.j.g. Page was posthumously promoted to full Lietenant status by the Secretary of the Navy, John B. Connally, for courage and valor. Also named for courage during the rescue of the pilot and the 2 students were LCDR Alvin E. Henke, who commanded the rescue mission, Dr. Lt. Donald E. Hines (MC), and hospital corpsman 3rd class Arthur J. Hoeny. Lt.j.g. Miller was also credited with assisting in the rescue. Lt. Page was survived by his wife Elsa and a daughter, Deborah Anne.[7]
June 26 - A Belgian Air ForceC-119 Flying Boxcar crashes near Detmold, Germany after being accidentally hit by a British mortar. 5 crewmen and 33 paratroopers died, while 9 paratroopers managed to jump into safety using their parachute.
1964
January 13: United States Air ForceB-52D-10-BW, 55-060, suffers structural failure in turbulence of winter storm, crashes approximately 17 miles SW of Cumberland, Maryland. Pilot, co-pilot, eject, survive. Navigator, tail gunner, eject, die of exposure. Radar nav fails to eject, rides airframe in with two nuclear weapons on board. Both bombs survive intact and are recovered.[3]
June 10 - First LockheedXV-4A, 62-4503, crashes, killing civilian Army test pilot. Aircraft had just transitioned from conventional to vertical flight at 3,000 feet (914 meters) when control was lost. Airframe came down between Dobbins AFB and Woodstock, Georgia, injuring one civilian on ground.
December 8 - United States Air ForceB-58A, 60-1116, taxiing for take-off on icy taxiway at Bunker Hill AFB, Indiana, is blown off the pavement by exhaust of another departing B-58, strikes concrete manhole box adjacent to the runway, landing gear collapses, burns. Navigator killed in failed ejection, two other crew okay. Four B43 nuclear bombs and either a W-39 or W-53 warhead are on board the weapons pod, but no explosion takes place and contamination is limited to crash site.[3]
April 27 - RyanXV-5A, 62-4505, noses over from 800 feet (244 meters) and crashes at Edwards AFB, California, during a demonstration in front of several hundred reporters, military personnel, and civilians. Ryan test pilot Lou Everett attempts failed low-altitude ejection, dies.
January 17 – A B-52 Stratofortress collides with a KC-135 Stratotanker during aerial refueling near Palomares, Spain in the Palomares hydrogen bombs incident. Seven crew members are killed in the crash, and two of the B-52's Mark 28 nuclear bombs rupture, scattering radioactive material over the countryside. One bomb lands intact near the town, and another is lost at sea. It is later recovered intact 5 miles (8 km) offshore.[3]
October 5 - RyanXV-5A, 62-4506, crashes at Edwards AFB, California, killing Air Force test pilot Maj. David Tittle. During hover, the aircraft began uncontrolled roll to left, pilot ejected at 50 feet (15.24 meters), but chute failed to deploy.
1967
January 5 - Martin TGM-13Mace, launched from Site A-15, Santa Rosa Island, Hurlburt Field, Florida, by the 4751st Air Defense Squadron, fails to circle over Gulf of Mexico for test mission with two Eglin AFBF-4s, but heads south for Cuba. Third F-4 overtakes it, fires two AAMs with limited success, then damages unarmed drone with cannon fire. Mace overflies western tip of Cuba before crashing in Caribbean Sea 100 miles south of the island. International incident narrowly avoided. To forestall the possibility, the United States State Department asks the Swiss Ambassador in Havana to explain the circumstances of the wayward drone to the Cuban government.[9]
April 21 - Fourth prototype F-111B, BuNo 151973, suffers flame-out of both engines at 200 feet after take-off, killing the project pilot and co-pilot.[10]
November 15 - On the 191st flight of the X-15 program out of Edwards AFB, California, the third of three, 56-6672, suffers problems during reentry from 266,000 foot altitude, 3,750 mph mission. Airframe has massive structural failure, killing pilot Michael J. Adams, the only fatality in X-15s.[11]
March 10 - LockheedXV-4B, 62-5404, on conventional test flight out of Dobbins AFB, Georgia, suddenly entered rapid roll while climbing through 8,000 feet (2438 meters), pilot unable to recover, ejects, suffering minor injuries.
October 9 - A USAFB-52F-70-BW, 57-0172, of the 329th Bomb Squadron, crashed about 1,000 feet beyond end of runway while doing touch-and-goes at Castle AFB, California. All six crew died in the 11:45 p.m. accident as the Stratofortress exploded on impact.[12]
April 3 - A USAFB-52 of the 26th Bomb Wing caught fire and crashed during landing at Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota, skidding into a brick storage building containing 25,000 gallons of jet fuel. Heroic efforts by crash crew save all nine on board, although one suffered broken limbs, and three firefighters were injured. One of the eight jet engines ran for forty minutes following crash.[15]
April 28 - A USAFF-4 being ferried from Robins AFB, Georgia to Torrejon Air Base, Spain, was disabled by a severe thunderstorm, forcing the crew to eject at 36,000 feet 150 miles east of Charleston, South Carolina, suffering minor injuries from hail while descending. Spotted by rescue aircraft, they are recovered by the oil tanker Texaco Illinois.[16]
May 22 - A USAFT-33A of the 1st Composite Wing, Andrews AFB, Maryland, crashes just short of the north runway on approach to that base, killing two crew, and injuring three on the ground.[17]
May 24 - A USAFC-5A makes an emergency landing at Dobbins AFB, Georgia, suffering an electrical malfunction that knocks out landing lights, causes minor damage to the nosegear and flattens four of 28 tires.[18]
May 27: A USAFC-5A catches fire while taxiing at Air Force Plant 42, Palmdale, California, due to an electrical fire in the cargo compartment. Five crew escape, but seven firefighters suffer minor injuries fighting blaze.[19]
January 7 - An unarmed USAFB-52C-45-BO, 54-2666, of the 9th BW, Westover AFB, Massachusetts, crashed into Lake Michigan near Charlevoix, Michigan during a practice bomb run, exploding on impact. Only a small amount of wreckage, two life vests, and some spilled fuel was found in Little Traverse Bay. Bomber went down six nautical miles from the Bay Shore Air Force Radar Site. Nine crew KWF.[23]
September 28 - A United States NavyP-3 Orion, on patrol over the Sea of Japan, is fired on by a SovietSverdlov class cruiser in international waters. The P-3 was checking a group of Soviet Navy ships cruising off the shore of Japan when crew members reported seeing tracer rounds fired well ahead of the Orion. Immediately following the incident, authorities recalled the P-3 to its base at Iwakuni, and all surveillance craft were pulled back five miles.[25][26]
September 29 - A USAFC-5A of the 443rd Military Airlift Wing, Altus AFB, Oklahoma, one of six used for training, had its number one (port outer) engine tear off the pylon while advancing take-off power before brake release, setting the wing on fire. The crew evacuated safely within 90 seconds and the fire was extinguished by emergency equipment. The engine had flown up and behind the Galaxy, landing some 250 yards to the rear. The Air Force subsequently grounded six other C-5s with similar flight hours and cycles. Further investigation found cracks in younger C-5s and the entire fleet was grounded.[27][28]
October 29 - A USAFT-33A crashes near Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, both crew ejecting before the airframe impacted in a sugar cane field; one seriously injured, one with minor injuries.[29]
November 7 - A USAFF-4 and a USAFF-106A-130-CO, 59-0125, of the 84th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, Hamilton AFB, California, suffer mid-air and crash in isolated areas near Nellis AFB, Nevada. All three crew eject and survive. Phantom comes down 35 miles from Caliente, Nevada, Delta Dart attempts recovery to Nellis but pilot ejects eight miles NE of base.[30]
1972
February 19 - C-130E 62-1813, c.n. 3775, of the 16th Tactical Airlift Training Squadron, mid-air collision with Cessna T-37 from Biggs AFB, Texas, 6 kilometers northeast of Little Rock, Arkansas - four killed on Hercules. Two Tweet pilots eject safely.
March 31 - Twenty minutes after take-off from McCoy AFB, Florida, a USAFB-52D-80-BO, 56-0625, of the 306th Bomb Wing, suffers in-flight fire in engine number seven which spreads to starboard wing; attempts emergency landing at McCoy, crashes one quarter mile short of runway, killing seven on board, injuring eight civilians on the ground, destroys four houses.[31][32]
October 13 – Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571, a Fairchild FH-227D carrying a rugby union team from Montevideo to a match in Santiago, Chile, crashes in a remote region of the Andes on the Chile-Argentina border. Of the 45 on board, 12 died in the crash, five died by the following morning, and one died from his injuries a week later. The survivors were eventually forced to resort to cannibalism to live, feeding off the bodies of the dead that had been preserved by the freezing temperatures. On December 12, the remaining survivors sent three of their own to find help. After sending one of the party back to the crash site to preserve rations, the remaining two found help. The 14 survivors remaining at the crash site were rescued in a mission that ended on December 23. The story would spawn a critically-acclaimed book in 1974, along with several film adaptations.
November 24 - Two USAFRF-4Cs of the 363rd Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, Shaw AFB, South Carolina, suffer mid-air collision over the Atlantic Ocean about 30 miles of off Pawley's Island at about 2:50 p.m. Two crew from one Phantom recovered by UH-1N of Detachment 8, 44th ARRSq, out of Myrtle Beach AFB, but two others including one officer of HQ 9th Air Force, Shaw AFB, are lost.[33]
February 8 - A USAFB-52 of the 744th BS, 456th BW, veered off the runway during night take-off from Beale AFB, California, skidded 1,500 feet through a muddy field before overturning, destroyed by four massive explosions and fire. One crew, the first pilot, was thrown free before the fire but seven others perished.
February 9 - Two USAFF-105s of the 457th TFS (TH tailcode), 506th TFG, 301st Reserve TFW, Carswell AFB, Texas, suffer mid-air collision, downing one Thud ~1 mile from Holliday, Texas, pilot ejecting, suffering broken right leg on landing, recovered by helicopter. Second F-105 recovers to Carswell despite damage.[35]
March 4 - A USAF CIM-10 Bomarc missile of the 4751st ADS, Hurlburt Field, Florida, explodes on Santa Rosa Island due to a malfunction shortly after launch from Site A-15, impacting on government property adjacent to the launchsite. Eglin AFB authorities confirmed that there were no personnel injuries, and local law enforcement agencies had received no damage reports.[39]
March 5 - A United States NavyRA-5C crashes in the Gulf of Mexico 35 miles west of Tampa, Florida. Both crew eject, two chutes observed, but only the navigator is recovered.[40]
March 5 - A USAFKC-135A of the 91st Air Refuelling Squadron, 384th Air Refuelling Wing, crashed and burned shortly after take-off from McConnell AFB, Kansas, killing two of seven crew. Air Force spokesmen reported that the aircraft was carrying 136,000 pounds of fuel when it crashed 3,000 feet from the main runway, after it apparently lost power.[41]
March 5 - A USAFKC-135A of the 7th Air Refuelling Squadron, 7th Bomb Wing, en route from Eielson AFB, Alaska to its homebase at Carswell AFB, Texas, suffered explosive decompression when a small window blew out at 35,000 feet at 4:30 p.m. EST about 40 miles SE of Fort Nelson, British Columbia. One passenger of the 25 aboard died from the effects of the rapid decompression; others and eight crew okay. The tanker made an emergency landing at a Canadian Armed Forces Base at Edmonton, Alberta.[42][43]
April 29 - A USAFMartin CGM-13 Mace crashed in a wooded area of Eglin AFB, Florida, approximately ~1.5 miles north of Auxiliary Field 4 after launch from Eglin Site A-10 about noon for a routine Air National Guard training mission. There were no injuries or property damage although a small brushfire was ignited, quickly extinguished.[44]
October 14 – An RAFAvro Vulcan of 9 Sqn RAF Waddington breaks up over Zabbar, Malta, after a hard landing shears off the port-side undercarriage, piercing a wing fuel tank and starting a fire. The pilot and co-pilot initiate a second landing attempt but eject when they realize that the plane cannot make it back to the runway. The subsequent explosion kills 5 crew members who remained aboard, and an electrical cable severed by falling debris kills a bystander on the ground.
March 27 - A USNF-14 Tomcat crashes and catapults across scrub grass to come to rest against a concrete highway divider on I-163 on approach to NAS Miramar, San Diego, CA, exploding in flames. Both crew members eject seconds before impact; one fatality, no civilian deaths.
October 19 - A USAFB-52D-75-BO, 56-0594, of the 22nd Bomb Wing, crashes at 7:30 a.m. in light fog in a plowed field ~2 1/2 miles SE of March AFB, near the rural community of Sunnymead, California, shortly after take-off. Five crew killed, but one is able to escape the burning wreckage and was reported in stable condition at the base hospital. Traffic was disrupted on nearby Interstate 15E. [51]
November 8 - USNA-4 Blue Angel, during pre-show exhibition at NAS Miramar, San Diego,CA, pilot dead on impact, no ejection.
1980
April 24 - Operation Eagle Claw - A contingent of American military aircraft embarks on a commando raid to rescue a group of American hostages held by Iran. An unexpected sandstorm forces 2 USMCRH-53D Sea Stallion helicopters to divert before reaching the first rendezvous point 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 loses situational awareness in dustcloud during takeoff and collides with a USAFC-130 Hercules, killing 8 US servicemen aboard both aircraft.
May 6 - A mechanical failure caused Air Force EC-135N ARIA 328 to crash in a farmer's field, in Walkersville, Maryland. All 21 aboard were killed. Some of those aboard were family members. A memorial has been built at Walkersville Heritage Farm Park.
October 30 - A USAFB-52D-55-BO, 55-078, of the 22nd Bomb Wing, March AFB, California, crashes on the eastern Colorado prairie near La Junta at 6:30 a.m. while on a low-level (400 foot altitude) training mission, killing all eight crew. No weapons were onboard.[53]
November 29 - Shortly after completing a training mission, a USAFB-52G-130-BW, 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.[54][55]
1983
January 27 - Five are killed and eight injured when a USAFB-52G catches fire and explodes at 9:30 a.m. on the ramp at Grand Forks AFB, North Dakota. The Stratofortress was undergoing routine maintenance after flying a training mission the previous night.[56]
1984
October 16 - An unarmed USAFB-52 of the 92nd Bomb Wing out of Fairchild AFB, Washington, crashed about 9 p.m. 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.[57]
April 24 - Marine Corps Colonel Jerry Cadick, then commanding officer of MAG-11, was performing stunts at the MCAS El Toro Air Show before a crowd of 300,000 when he crashed his 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.[62][63]
May 6 - CH-53D with Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron-46 crashed into South China Sea killing all 17 on board.
August 28 – Ramstein airshow disaster: 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.
December 6 - A USAFB-52H-150-BW, 60-0040, crashed on the runway at 1:15 a.m. 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.[65]
January 29 - A RCAF C-130 participating in annual Brim Frost exercises hits runway lights and a river bank short of the runway and crashes onto the runway at Wainwright AAF, Alaska at -46 degrees Fahrenheit. Eleven of the eighteen occupants are killed.
January 23 - Mid-air collision between two Blue Angels aircraft during a practice session at El Centro. One airplane was destroyed and the other badly damaged. Both pilots survived unharmed.[67]
December 6 - An MB-326 jet from the Italian Air Force crashes into a high school in Casalecchio di Reno, Italy. Twelve students are killed, 84 more are severely injured. The pilot ejected after losing control of the plane.
1991
March 21 – Two US NavyP-3 Orion anti-submarine planes are lost during a training mission off the San Diego coast. The crash occurs in a storm 60 miles southwest of San Diego at 2:30 a.m., as one plane flies to relieve the other, which had been airborne for seven hours. Search-and-rescue workers discover wreckage from the downed planes but all 27 crewmen are lost. The two aircraft were assigned to Patrol Squadron 50, based at Moffett Naval Air Station in Mountain View.
April - A Marine Corps CH-46 suffers a catastrophic explosion and crashes into the Red Sea, killing four Marines including the pilot and injuring eight Marines.
July 20 - A V-22 Osprey prototype catches fire and falls into the Potomac River in Quantico, Virginia, USA, killing 5 crew members in front of an audience of high-ranking US government officials; this is the first of a series of fatal accidents involving the controversial tiltrotor aircraft.
1993
April 27 – A Zambian Air Force DHC-5 Buffalo crashed shortly after takeoff from Libreville, Gabon. One engine caught fire and failed; the tired pilot then shut down the wrong engine, causing a complete loss of power during the climb and leading to a crash 500 metres offshore. The plane was carrying the Zambia national football team to a 1994 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Senegal. All 30 on board, including 18 players, the coach, and team support staff, were killed.
August 8 - A JAS 39 Gripen crashed on the central Stockholm island of Långholmen, near the Västerbron bridge, during a slow speed manoeuver during a display over the Stockholm Water Festival. The same pilot as in the 1989 incident ejected safely. Despite large crowds standing by watching, no one on the ground was seriously injured. This crash was caused by a PIO.
1994
March 23 - Green Ramp Disaster A mid-air collision between a C-130 Hercules and a F-16D Fighting Falcon causes a ground crash between the F-16 and a C-141 Starlifter. This propelled the wreckage of the F-16 into paratroopers preparing for a practice drop killing 24 and injuring many more. The C-130 landed safely.
June 24 - 'Czar 52', a USAFB-52H Stratofortress, crashes during an airshow practice at Fairchild AFB. After having rehearsed the maneuvers profile that in itself was dangerous to fly in a B-52, the aircraft came into land. Due to a KC-135 Stratotanker still being on the runway, the aircraft was required to make a 'go around'. After beginning a 360-degree turn left, the aircraft exceeded 90 degrees angle of bank, stalled and crashed into the ground. All four aircrew members were killed in the crash.[69][70]B-52H61-0026Czar 52 about to crash. Note that the co-pilot's hatch has been blown in a failed attempt to eject.
1995
May - Historic B-29 Superfortress "Kee Bird", abandoned in 1947 and recently restored to flying condition after a number of highly calamitous setbacks, is severely damaged by fire while attempting to take off from a frozen lakebed in Greenland. Its remains are abandoned to sink into the melting ice.
September 22 – A USAFE-3 Sentry crashes shortly after take off when a flock of Canadian snow geese were ingested by its engines. All 26 crew members die, including 2 Canadian air crew members.
July 15 – At approximately 18.03 hrs, a Belgian Lockheed C-130 Hercules, registration number CH-06, crashed at Eindhoven Air Base in the Netherlands. A total of 34 people lost their lives as a result of the accident, and seven people were seriously injured.
January 21 - Royal Air ForcePanavia Tornado GR1 (ZA 330) crashed into a Cessna 152 (G-BPZX) near Mattersley Nottinghamshire. In the Air Accident Report 3/2000 the conclusion was none of the pilots saw each other in time to take avoiding action. Both crew of the Tornado Flight Lieutenant Greg Hurst and Sottotenete Matteo Di Carlo as well as the pilot and passenger in the Cessna were killed.
September 20 - A Swedish Air ForceJAS-39 Gripen crashes into a lake Vänern during an air-to-air combat exercise. The accident was caused by a design flaw in the plane's control system, rendering it in a stalled mode after passing another plane's vortex. The pilot ejects and survives.[71]
December 11 - A V-22 Osprey prototype crashes near Jacksonville, North Carolina, USA, after an engine fails and a glitch in the flight control software prevents the pilots from maintaining control of the aircraft; all 4 crew members are killed.
April 4 – A Sudan Air ForceAntonov An-24 crashes during a sandstorm in Adar Yeil, Sudan. Of the 30 people on board, 14 were killed; among them, Sudan’s deputy defense minister as well as other high-ranking officers.
June 2 – An Angolan Armed ForcesMil Mi-17 helicopter crashes in poor weather killing 20 of the 25 on board. Among those on board were top military officials that were going to attend a disarmament ceremony by UNITA rebels.
July 27 – A Ukrainian Air ForceSu-27 Tragedy at Lviv airshow. During the airshow an Su-27 crashed on the ground killing 85 spectators, 5 of them children. 199 were injured. Pilots managed to eject, but the plane crashed on spectators watching the airshow from the ground. The plane lacked the altitude to escape the crash, and it hit the tribune and fell on the ground. As stated by Ukrainian Def. Ministry, the crash was caused because of engine failure.
March 21 - During the 2003 invasion of Iraq, two Royal NavyWestland Sea King ASaC7 AEW helicopters collided in mid-air five miles from their aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal while one had been leaving on a mission as the other returned from the same operation. One American exchange pilot was on board, a former E-2C Hawkeye pilot formerly from Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron One One Five was killed. [4]
August 19 – A PolishSu-22, flying at 3000 meter (10,000 ft) altitude, during antiaircraft artillery exercises, was shot down near Ustka military proving area by 2K12 Kub missile. The pilot, Lt. Col. Andrzej Andrzejewski, safely ejected and alighted in Baltic Sea 21 km (11 nmi) from the coast, and - after one-and-half hour spent in water - picked up by helicopter.
September 9 — A low-flying British ArmyLynxAH Mk.9 helicopter was caught in high-voltage electric wires during an Anglo-Czech joint military training exercise near the village Kuroslepy (near Brno). All six persons on board died.
December 2 — The pilot of a Blue AngelsF/A-18 ejects approximately one mile off Perdido Key after reporting mechanical problems and loss of power. Lt. Ted Steelman suffered minor injuries and fully recovered.
January 31 – A Colombian government UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter on an anti-narcotics mission crashes in heavy fog near Manguipayan, Colombia killing all 20 on board.
September 15 - Russian Navy Su-27 aircraft during a flight between St.Petersburg and Kaliningrad, for unknown reasons veered off its course while travelling over neutral waters of the Baltic Sea, went into Lithuanian airspace and crashed in Jurbarkas region, Lithuania. No one was has harmed during the incident, including pilot that managed to eject.
February 2 – A HAL Dhruv helicopter, part of the Saarang Helicopter Aerobatics team lost altitude and crashed while practicing for the Aero India-2007 at the Yelahanka Air Base near Bangalore, India. The pilot was severely injured, and the co-pilot was killed. The Saarang team continued their planned performance for the airshow.
January 28 - A Portuguese Air ForceF-16 crashes in Monte Real, Portugal while performing a test run after going through extensive maintenance. The pilot safely ejected.
^ abMaurer Maurer, "Aviation in the U.S. Army, 1919-1939", United States Air Force Historical Research Center, Office of Air Force History, Washington, D.C., 1987, ISBN 0-912799-38-2, page 163. Cite error: The named reference "Maurer" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
^ abc Bodie, Warren M. "The Lockheed P-38 Lightning". Hayesville, North Carolina.: Widewing Publications, 1991, ISBN 0-9629359-5-6, pages 33-42. Cite error: The named reference "Bodie" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
^ abcdefghijklmnopqrstu Gibson, James N. Nuclear Weapons of the United States - An Illustrated History . Atglen, Pennsylvania.: Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 1996, Library of Congress card no. 96-67282, ISBN 0-7643-0063-6, page 61. Cite error: The named reference "Gibson" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
^ Jenkins, Dennis R., Moore, Mike and Pyeatt, Don, compilers, B-36 Photo Scrapbook . North Branch, Minnesota.: Specialty Press, 2003, ISBN 1-58007-075-2, page 53.
^
New Iberia, Louisiana: The Daily Iberian, June 14, 1961, Vol. 68, No. 265, verified by daughter-Deborah Anne Page Williams.
^ Columbia, South Carolina: The State, Friday, October 20, 1978, page 3-A.
^
Washington, D.C.: Washington Daily News, January 5, 1967.
^ abLake, Jon, editor, "Grumman F-14 Tomcat", AIRtime Publishing Inc., Westport, Connecticut, 1998, ISBN 1-880588-13-7, page 16. Cite error: The named reference "Lake" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
^ Miller, Jay "USAF X-Series Aircraft - Part II", Aerophile, San Antonio, Texas, March/April 1977, Volume 1, Number 2, page 75.
^ Los Angeles, California: Los Angeles Times, Friday, October 11, 1969.
^
San Bernardino, California: San Bernardino Sun, Monday, 27 October 1969.
^
San Bernardino, California: San Bernardino Sun, Wednesday, 3 November 1971, page C-8.
^
Washington, D.C.: Washington Post, Saturday, October 30, 1970, page A-9.
^
San Bernardino, California: San Bernardino Sun, Monday, November 8, 1971, page B-2.
^ Los Angeles, California: Los Angeles Times, Saturday, April 1, 1972, page A-1.
^San Bernardino, California: San Bernardino Sun-Telegram, Saturday, April 1, 1972, page A-2.
^
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina: Sun-News, Tuesday, November 28, 1972, Vol. 22, No. 52, page 1A.
^ Some press reports list Conway, South Carolina, west of the crash site, as the location.
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina: Sun-News, Richmond, Mary and Thompson, Eldridge, staff writers, Thursday, December 7, 1972, Vol. 22, No, 56, pages 1A-2A.
^
Fort Walton Beach, Florida: Playground Daily News, Sunday, February 10
, 1974, page A-1.
^
Fort Walton Beach, Florida: Playground Daily News, Monday, February 11
, 1974, page A-1.
^
Fort Walton Beach, Florida: Playground Daily News, Tuesday, February 12
, 1974, page A-1.
^
Pensacola, Florida: Pensacola News, Monday, February 11
, 1974, page 6A or 8A.
^
Fort Walton Beach, Florida: Playground Daily News, March 5, 1974, page A-1.
^
Fort Walton Beach, Florida: WNUE 1400 AM, news reports, Tuesday, March 5, 1974, Wednesday, March 6, 1974.
^
Fort Walton Beach, Florida: Playground Daily News, Wednesday, March 6, 1974, page 1A.
^
Fort Walton Beach, Florida: Playground Daily News, Wednesday, March 6, 1974, page 1A.
^
Fort Walton Beach, Florida: Playground Daily News, Wednesday, March 7, 1974, page 1A.
^
Fort Walton Beach, Florida: Playground Daily News, Tuesday, April 30, 1974, page 1A.
^
Fort Walton Beach, Florida: Playground Daily News, Thursday, August 1, 1974, page 2A.
^
Gainesville, Georgia: WFOX-FM radio, Monday, August 19, 1974.
^
Columbia, South Carolina: The State, Thursday, August 22, 1974, page 2B.
^
Columbia, South Carolina: The State, Tuesday, August 27, 1974, page 10A.
^
Greenville, South Carolina: Greenville News, Tuesday, August 27, 1974, page 3.
^
Fort Walton Beach, Florida: Playground Daily News, Monday, February 2, 1976, page 2A.
^
Columbia, South Carolina: The State, Friday, October 20, 1978, page 3-A.
^
Washington, D.C.: Washington Post, Saturday, October 31, 1981, page A-6.
^
Washington, D.C.: Washington Post, Saturday, October 31, 1981, page A-6.
^
Washington, D.C.: Washington Post, Tuesday, November 30, 1982, page A-18.
^
New York, N.Y.: New York Times, Wednesday, December 1, 1982, page B-4.
^
Arlington, Virginia: USA Today, Friday, January 28, 1983, page 3A.
^
Washington, D.C.: Washington Post, Thursday, October 18, 1984, page A-7.
