ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 269675
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 14 September 1976 |
| Time: | day |
| Type: |  Grumman F-14A Tomcat |
| Owner/operator: | VF-32, US Navy |
| Registration: | 159588 |
| MSN: | 135 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | USS John F Kennedy (CVA-67), in Firth of Forth area, North Sea -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Taxi |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | USS John F Kennedy (CVA-67), in Firth of Forth area, North Sea |
Grumman F-14A Tomcat BuAer No.159588/'AB-221', US Navy Squadron VF-32 was taxiing on board the USS John F Kennedy (CVN-67) in in Firth of Forth area of the North Sea when it inadvertently went over the deck edge into the sea. The aircraft carried new AIM-54 Phoenix missiles. Therefore the wreckage plus missiles were recovered so that it could not fall into the wrong hands.
As one source describes the incident (see link #5):
"On September 14, 1976, the USS John F Kennedy was conducting exercises near the North Sea in Scotland. A VF-32 squadron code-named “AB 221” F-14A fighter (No. Buno. 159588) was working. Glide slowly forward from the back of the flight deck, preparing to enter the ejection position. After arriving at the designated position, the fighter pilot found that the wheels could not be stopped, so the people inside and outside the plane were all busy, but the "cat" still paced forward unhurriedly, sliding. After taxiing for nearly a hundred meters, the Tomcat slid off the deck of the aircraft carrier and plunged into the sea. The pilot and radar crew popped out of the cabin before the fall and were rescued safely.
At that time, there was a "Kara-class" cruiser of the former Soviet Union near the aircraft carrier to monitor the process of the exercise, so the Americans did not dare to neglect, and immediately paid a lot of money to carry out the salvage operation. After the plane was picked up, it was found that an AIM-54 Phoenix missile was missing. This time it scared the Yankees enough, thinking that the most advanced long-range air-to-air missile at the time was sneaked away by the Russians. So I quickly transferred a special deep-water robot from the United States and searched carefully in the water where the plane crashed, and finally found the "naughty" missile. The salvage operation cost a total of $2.4 million U.S. dollars (in 1976 currency), and it took 58 days."
Note that one source (see link #4) places the location of the incident as being off the Orkney Islands, not the Firth of Forth, and therefore considerably further north than others.
Sources:
1. Own recollection and from online source
2. http://www.anft.net/f-14/f14-serial-05.htm
3. http://www.topedge.com/panels/aircraft/sites/mats/f14-history-crash.htm
4. http://www.joebaugher.com/navy_fighters/f14_2.html
5. https://inf.news/en/military/91685d290c759c0861ee8655fe759451.html
6. http://www.joebaugher.com/navy_serials/thirdseries20.html
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firth_of_Forth
Location
Media:
#OTD 1976, an F-14 skidded off the deck of USS John F. Kennedy near Scotland. The crew ejected but the jet plunged to a depth of 1850 feet. Fearing that the Soviets would scoop up the Tomcat and its AIM-54 Phoenix missiles, the Navy recovered the plane after an intensive search. pic.twitter.com/xGhgZcvWJY
— U.S. Naval Institute (@NavalInstitute) September 14, 2023
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 19-Nov-2021 10:16 | ADI | Added |
| 19-Nov-2021 10:19 | harro | Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Total fatalities, Other fatalities, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 08-Jun-2022 17:23 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Cn, Operator, Total occupants, Location, Source, Narrative, Category] |
| 08-Jun-2022 17:23 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Departure airport] |
| 12-Jun-2022 18:04 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative, Category] |
| 15-Sep-2023 05:27 | nhofmann54 | Updated [[Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative, Category]] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:
| ASN Home | Send Correction / Feedback |
| FSF Home | Disclaimer | Copyright |
| Contact Us | Privacy Policy |
| Press / Media |
CONNECT WITH US:
©2024 Flight Safety Foundation