List of accidents and incidents involving military aircraft, 1950-1999: Difference between revisions

*11 May - A [[United States Air Force]] [[C-135]]B-BN, ''61-0332'', c/n 18239, crashed on landing at [[Clark Air Force Base]], [[Philippines]], hitting a taxi. 84 on board, 5 survivors, passengers in taxi also killed. Date of 11 August 1964 cited by [[Joe Baugher]]. The crash occurred while attempting to land during a rainstorm at approximately 1920 hrs.

*10 June - First [[Lockheed]] [[XV-4 Hummingbird|XV-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.

*8 December - [[United States Air Force]] [[B-58 Hustler|B-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 Hustler|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 bomb]]s and either a [[W39]] or [[W53]] warhead are on board the weapons pod, but no explosion takes place and contamination is limited to crash site.<ref

name="Gibson"> 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 74.</ref>

[[Image:North American XB-70A Valkyrie just after collision 061122-F-1234P-037.jpg|thumb|XB-70 ''62-0207'' following the [[Mid-air collision|midair collision]] on 8 June 1966 with Joe Walker's F-104N tumbling in flames in foreground.]]

* 17 January – A [[B-52]]G-115-BW [[Stratofortress]], ''58-0256'', of the 68th Bomb Wing out of [[Seymour-Johnson AFB]], North Carolina, collides with a [[KC-135]]A-BN [[Stratotanker]], ''61-0273'', c.n 18180, flying boom during aerial refueling near [[Palomares, Spain]] in the [[Palomares hydrogen bombs incident]], breaking bomber's back. Seven crew members are killed in the crash, two eject safely, and two of the B-52's [[Mark 28 nuclear bomb]]s 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 in deep trench. The KC-135 landed safely.<ref name="Gibson" /> Two of the recovered weapons are exhibited at the [[National Museum of Nuclear Science and History]], [[Albuquerque, New Mexico]].

*8 June – Second [[XB-70 Valkyrie#Flight history|XB-70A-2 Valkyrie]] prototype, ''62-0207'', crashes at [[Edwards AFB]], California, following a mid-air collision with a [[Lockheed Corporation|Lockheed]] [[F-104 Starfighter]], [[NASA]] ''813'', previously ''013'', while the aircraft were in close formation for a photo shoot at the behest of [[General Electric]]. The pilot of the F-104N, Dr. [[Joseph A. Walker]], late of the [[X-15]] program, and Maj. [[Carl Cross]], the [[first officer|copilot]] of the XB-70, are killed.

*5 October - [[Ryan Aeronautical|Ryan]] [[XV-5 Vertifan|XV-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==

*5 January - Martin [[MGM-13 Mace]], 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 AFB]] [[F-4]]s, but heads south for [[Cuba]]. Third F-4 overtakes it, fires two [[AAM]]s with limited success, then damages unarmed drone with cannon fire. [[Mace]] overflies western tip of [[Cuba]] before crashing in Caribbean 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.<ref>Washington, D.C.: Washington Daily News, ''Made a MACE of It: Jet Failed to Down Errant Missile'', January 5, 1967. </ref>

*21 April - Fourth prototype [[F-111B]], BuNo ''151973'', suffers flame-out of both engines at 200 feet after take-off, killing the project pilot Ralph Donnell and co-pilot Charles Wangeman.<ref name="Lake">Lake, Jon, editor, "Grumman F-14 Tomcat", AIRtime Publishing Inc., Westport, Connecticut, 1998, ISBN 1-880588-13-7, page 16.</ref>

*10 May - [[Northrop M2-F2]], [[NASA]] ''803'', crashes on landing at [[Edwards Air Force Base]], California, due to a pilot-induced oscillation coupled with misjudged height and drift. Airframe rolls over six times, footage used for television program "[[The Six Million Dollar Man]]". Pilot survives.

==1968==

*21 January - A [[B-52G]]-100-BW [[Stratofortress]], ''58-0188'', c.n. 4642256, from [[Plattsburgh AFB]], [[New York]], carrying four hydrogen bombs crashes on the ice seven miles short of [[Thule Air Base]], [[Greenland]]. 1 crew member killed; all four B-28 weapons are consumed in post-crash fire, extensive contamination of site, several relief workers exposed to radiation.<ref name="Gibson" /> See also [[B-52 crash at Thule Air Base]].

*6 May - Astronaut [[Neil Armstrong]] ejects from [[Bell Aerospace]] [[Lunar Landing Research Vehicle]], known as the "Flying Bedstead", at [[NASA]]'s [[Manned Spacecraft Center]], [[Houston, Texas]], as it goes out of control. Had he ejected 1/2 second later, his chute would not have deployed fully. Armstrong suffers a bit tongue.

* 12 August - [[Avro Vulcan|Avro Vulcan B2]] ''[[United Kingdom military aircraft serials|XL390]]'' of [[No. 617 Squadron RAF| 617 Squadron]] [[Royal Air Force]] crashed during an air display at [[Naval Air Station Glenview]], United States. All crew members killed.

* 19 August - [[Handley Page Victor|Handley Page Victor K1]] ''XH646'' of [[No. 214 Squadron RAF]] collided in mid-air near [[Holt, Norfolk]], United Kingdom in bad weather with a [[No. 213 Squadron RAF|213 Squadron]] [[English Electric Canberra]] ''WT325'', all four crew members of the Victor died<ref>[http://www.214squadron.org.uk/Crews_and_losses_Victor_m.htm#Crew_Victor_XH646 214 Squadron]</ref>

*11 September - Second prototype [[F-111B]], BuNo ''151971'', crashes into the Pacific Ocean killing [[Hughes]] pilot Barton Warren and his [[RIO]] Anthony Byland.<ref name="Lake">Lake, Jon, editor, "Grumman F-14 Tomcat", AIRtime Publishing Inc., Westport, Connecticut, 1998, ISBN 1-880588-13-7, page 18.</ref>

*11 October - Fifth prototype [[U.S. Navy]] [[F-111B]] BuNo ''151974'' crash landed at [[Point Mugu, California]]. Scrapped. Navy abandons the F-111B program completely and both houses of Congress refuse to fund production order in May 1968.

*13 December - [[USAF]] [[B-57]]E ''54-4284'' of the 8th TBS, 35th TFW, has mid-air collision with [[C-123 Provider]] ''55-0600'' over [[Xieng Khovang]], southern [[Laos]], all crew KWF.<ref name="Willis">Willis, David, "''Martin B-57: The American Canberra''", International Air Power Review, Volume 21, AIRtime Publishing Inc., Westport, Connecticut, 2006, ISBN 1473-9917, page 126.</ref>

==1969==

*10 March or 14 March - [[Lockheed]] [[XV-4 Hummingbird|XV-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 Harlan Quamme, unable to recover, ejects, suffering minor injuries.

*15 April - North Korean [[MiG-17]]s [[EC-121 shootdown incident|shoot down]] a Navy [[EC-121 Warning Star|EC-121M Warning Star]], BuNo ''135749'', c/n 4316, of [[VQ-1]], over the Sea of Japan, killing all 31 aboard.

*18 May - [[USMC]] K[[C-130]]F BuNo ''149814'', c/n 3723, of VMGR-352, collided head-on with [[F-4]]B BuNo ''151001'' of [[VMFA-542]], [[MAG-13]], from [[Chu Lai]] (both crew killed), while refuelling two F-4Bs of [[VMFA-314]] over South Vietnam near [[Phu Bai]]. Two crew of F-4B BuNo ''151450'', survived after jettisoning bombs and ejecting, while the second F-4B recovered safely to [[Chu Lai]]. [[Lars Olausson]] states that the KC-130F was from VMGR-352, while [[Chris Hobson]] claims it was assigned to VMGR-152.

*9 October - A [[USAF]] [[B-52]]F-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 2345 hrs. accident as the Stratofortress exploded on impact.<ref> Los Angeles, California: Los Angeles Times, Friday, October 11, 1969.</ref>

*25 October - Two [[United States Air Force Academy]] faculty are killed when their [[T-33A]] crashed and burned in a meadow near the main runway while landing at [[Peterson Field]], [[Colorado]]. Pilot was Maj. Donald J. Usry, 32, of the academy faculty, and back-seater was Capt. Martin Bezyack, of the academy's athletic department.<ref>San Bernardino, California: San Bernardino Sun, Monday, 27 October 1969.</ref>

*22 December: A [[United States Navy]] [[F-8 Crusader]] of [[VF-194]] crashes into hangar at [[NAS Miramar]], California during emergency landing, killing 14 and injuring 30. Pilot ejected safely. Five other fighters, including two [[F-4]]s, are damaged in the repair facility fire that ensues. Helicopters and military and civilian ambulances were used to transport the injured to [[Bob Wilson Naval Hospital|Balboa Naval Hospital]], [[San Diego]].<ref>

Redlands, California: Redlands Daily Facts, Thursday, December 22, 1969, page one.</ref>

*28 April - A [[United States Air Force|USAF]] [[F-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. Pilot Capt. Daniel Heitz, 25, of Grand Rapids, Michigan, and navigator Lt. MacArthur Weston, 28, of Jacksonville, North Carolina are spotted by rescue aircraft, and are recovered by the oil tanker ''Texaco Illinois'', diverted from 8 miles away.<ref>

Washington, D.C.: Washington Post, Tuesday, April 29, 1970. </ref>

*22 May - A [[United States Air Force|USAF]] [[T-33A]] of the 1st Composite Wing, [[Andrews AFB]], Maryland, crashes just short of the north runway on approach to that base, killing pilot Maj. Jerry H. McDowell, 36, Clinton, Maryland, and Lt. Edwin D. Billmeyer, 24, of Baltimore, Maryland, and injuring three motorists on the ground.<ref>

Washington, D.C.: Washington Post, Saturday, May 23, 1970. </ref>

*31 March - Twenty minutes after take-off from [[McCoy AFB]], Florida, a [[USAF]] [[B-52]]D-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.<ref> Los Angeles, California: Los Angeles Times, Associated Press, ''7 Die, 8 Hurt as Bomber Falls Near Homes'', Saturday, April 1, 1972, page A-1.</ref><ref>San Bernardino, California: San Bernardino Sun-Telegram, Saturday, April 1, 1972, page A-2.</ref>

*8 April - [[Hawker-Siddeley]] [[Andover]] C.1, bound for the United Kingdom, carrying 18-man paratroop exhibition team, crashes on take-off at [[Siena, Italy]], digging in starboard wingtip before skidding 300 yards across airfield and catching fire. Four killed, four injured, most escaping before fuel tank ignited. Dramatic photo, distributed worldwide, showed aircraft at almost 90 degree angle from ground with wingtip digging in. <ref> Los Angeles, California: Los Angeles Times, ''Death Plunge'', Sunday, April 9, 1972, page 1, Section A.</ref><ref>San Bernardino, California: San Bernardino Sun-Telegram, ''Plane Crash Kills 4'', Sunday, April 9, 1972, page A-4.</ref>

*13 October – [[Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571]], a [[Fairchild Hiller FH-227|Fairchild FH-227D]], ''T-571'', c/n 572, 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 [[Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors|a critically-acclaimed book]] in 1974, along with several film adaptations.

*24 November - Two [[USAF]] [[RF-4C]]s 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 1450 hrs.<ref>

*30 January - A [[Convair]] [[PQM-102 Delta Dagger]], belonging to the [[Fairchild Corporation]] according to a press report, crashed on landing at [[Bob Sikes Airport]], [[Crestview, Florida]] when the landing gear collapsed. Airframe destroyed by fire. [[Sperry Corporation|Sperry Flight Systems]] pilot, Earl C. Pearce, was unhurt.<ref>

Fort Walton Beach, Florida: Playground Daily News, Monday, February 2, 1976, page 2A.</ref>

*21 December - [[Imperial Iranian Air Force]] [[C-130H]] c.n. 4463, delivered as ''5-148'', September 1972, renumbered ''5-142'', November 1973, renumbered ''5-8536'', 1976, crashed during approach in bad weather to [[Shiraz]], [[Iran]].

* 29 January - A [[RCAF]] C[[C-130]]E, ''130318'', formerly ''10318'', c/n 4124, of 43 Squadron, participating in annual Brim Frost exercises hits runway lights and a river bank short of the runway and crashes onto the runway at [[Fort Wainwright|Wainwright AAF]], Alaska at -46 degrees Fahrenheit. Eleven of the eighteen occupants are killed.<ref>[http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19890129-0 ASN Aircraft accident Lockheed CC-130E Hercules 130318 Fairbanks-Fort Wainwright Airport, AK (FBK)<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

* 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]].<ref name= "SVT"> [http://svt.se/svt/road/Classic/shared/mediacenter/index.jsp?d=37267&a=399477 Sveriges Television], News footage of the 1989 and 1993 crashes (in Swedish)</ref> The pilot remained in the tumbling aircraft, and escaped miraculously with just a fractured arm.

*15 May - [[US Navy]] [[North American Sabreliner|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.<ref>Washington, D.C.: Washington Post, ''Accident at Andrews'', Tuesday, May 16, 1989, page B-7.</ref>

*4 July - A "runaway" [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] [[Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23|MiG-23]] '''[[1989 Belgian MiG-23 crash|crashes]]''' into a farmhouse in Belgium, killing an 18-year-old man.