Incident Canadair CF-104 Starfighter 104895,
ASN logo
ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 187619
 
This information is added by users of ASN. Neither ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information. If you feel this information is incomplete or incorrect, you can submit corrected information.

Date:Tuesday 19 March 1974
Time:
Type:Silhouette image of generic F104 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different    
Canadair CF-104 Starfighter
Owner/operator:Canadian Armed Forces (CAF)
Registration: 104895
MSN: 683A-1195
Fatalities:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage: Destroyed
Location:Cold Lake Air Weapons Range (CLAWR) -   Canada
Phase: Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.)
Nature:Military
Departure airport:CFB Cold Lake, Alberta
Destination airport:CFB Cold Lake, Alberta
Confidence Rating: Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources
Narrative:
The Aerospace Engineering Test Establishment (AETE) CF-104 was on a test mission over the Primrose Lake Range near CFB Cold Lake, Alberta. The test pilot, Maj. D.M. Johnson, was testing the M-61 cannon that had just been installed into 104895. He was to make multiple firing passes to assess the function and accuracy of the gun on ground targets. The pilot was on his third run into target and after firing the cannon he heard an explosion. He zoomed the aircraft to gain altitude and realized he had a compressor stall. Several relight attempts failed and as the aircraft lost speed and altitude, he was forced to eject. The chase plane directed the base rescue helicopter to the downed pilot and he was returned safely to base within a half hour of ejecting.

The investigation found that the M-61 stator control that controls the timing of the gun was out of sync. On his third pass the out of sync mechanism caused an explosion that propelled metal fragments and shell casings into the intake causing the compressor stall.

Sources:

http://www.skahs.com/NovPlaneTalk.pdf
http://www.rwrwalker.ca/CF_104833_104900_detailed.html

Revision history:

Date/timeContributorUpdates
25-May-2016 06:09 yukonjack Added

Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description

The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:

CONNECT WITH US: FSF on social media FSF Facebook FSF Twitter FSF Youtube FSF LinkedIn FSF Instagram

©2024 Flight Safety Foundation

1920 Ballenger Av, 4th Fl.
Alexandria, Virginia 22314
www.FlightSafety.org