ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 274953
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| Date: | Friday 30 June 1972 |
| Time: | 13:00 |
| Type: |  Grumman F-14A Tomcat |
| Owner/operator: | United States Navy (USN) |
| Registration: | 157989 |
| MSN: | 10 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | near NAS Patuxent River, MD -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | NAS Patuxent River, MD (NHK/KNHK) |
| NAS Patuxent River, MD (NHK/KNHK) | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
Crashed into the Chesapeake Bay, 4-1/2 miles southeast of NATC while preparing for an airshow at Patuxent Maryland. The accident killed Grumman’s top test pilot William H. (Bill) Miller, who a year and a half earlier survived the crash of the first F-14 built during its second flight. Miller was flying alone and had already completed a number of highspeed maneuvers when he was seen to be passing low over the water. Witnesses in a fishing boat nearby reported seeing the F-14 being pulled up suddenly, but too late to avoid the tail hitting the surface. The aircraft struck the water at about 350 knots and exploded. It was thought that Miller may have been distracted by something in the cockpit. It was a very hazy, smoggy day, with no horizon, and there was nobody in the rear cockpit to warn him of the danger. The weather conditions may have caused the pilot to lose his visual reference to the horizon and he flew the jet right into the water.
Sources:
The Victoria Advocate 1 July 1972, p5B
https://theaviationgeekclub.com/the-fatal-crash-of-grumman-test-pilot-bill-miller-and-the-search-for-f-14-tomcat-10/
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 31-Jan-2022 17:46 | TB | Added |
| 14-Mar-2022 15:18 | Scorpion89 | Updated [Time, Registration, Cn, Phase, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
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