ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 56088
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| Date: | Saturday 17 September 1994 |
| Time: | c. 07:00 |
| Type: |  Fairchild-Republic A-10A Thunderbolt II |
| Owner/operator: | 333rd TFSqn /355th TFWg USAF |
| Registration: | 79-0214 |
| MSN: | A10-0478 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Fort Irvin, 37 miles NE of Barstow, California -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | Nellis AFB, Nevada (LSV/KLSV) |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
Written off 17 September 1994 when crashed during firing range training at Fort Irwin, which is located approximately 37 miles north east of Barstow, California in the High Mojave Desert, midway between Las Vegas, Nevada and Los Angeles, California. Pilot - Captain Ronald B. Truesdale (aged 31) - was killed
According to a contemporary press report (The "Orlando Sentinal" dated Sept 19 1994):
"An A-10 attack jet crashed during training exercises at this desert base Saturday, killing the pilot. Captain Ronald B. Truesdale, 31, the only person aboard, was dead by the time officials reached the wreckage, said Captain Valerie Wilson, an Air Force spokeswoman. Truesdale, an instructor pilot, was in the Air warrior program at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada and was flying support exercises. The cause of the crash was under investigation, the Air Force said. Truesdale earned several awards after graduating from the Air Force Academy in 1985, including the Air Force Commendation Medal."
The pilot elected to remain in the aircraft, as opposed to ejecting, as it hurtled towards the desert floor. There were 3 columns of OPFOR armored vehicles (VISMOD M-551 Sheridans), consisting of 11 vehicles in each column, directly in the path of the doomed A-10. The pilot stayed at the controls to steer the aircraft away from the soldiers as best he could. Although he lost his life in the crash, he saved the lives of countless other because of his brave and selfless actions.
Sources:
1. Flight International 16-22 August 1995
2. http://web.archive.org/web/20171019033444/http://www.ejection-history.org.uk/Aircraft_by_Type/A-10_Thunderbolt_II.htm
3. http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/fort-irwin.htm
4. http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1979.html
5. http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1994-09-19/news/9409180426_1_force-pilot-truesdale-air-force
6. http://peacetime-casualties.findthedata.org/l/30686/Ronald-Barry-Truesdale
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 20-Mar-2011 11:32 | harro | Updated [Total fatalities, Location, Country, Source, Narrative] |
| 09-Dec-2013 22:16 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Operator, Total occupants, Location, Phase, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 06-May-2016 19:11 | A.Kidwell | Updated [Time, Narrative] |
| 23-Feb-2021 22:24 | Paco | Updated [Operator, Operator] |
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