ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 60350
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| Date: | Thursday 3 August 2000 |
| Time: | 10:32 |
| Type: |  McDonnell Douglas F-15C Eagle |
| Owner/operator: | 493rd FS, 48th FW, USAF |
| Registration: | 86-0173 |
| MSN: | 1023/C401 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | 13 miles NE of Rachel, Nevada -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | Nellis AFB, Nevada (KLSV) |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
On August 3, 2000, in the first week of the 2000 Green Flag Exercises, a U.S. Air Force F-15C Eagle crashed at approximately 10:32 a.m. PDST in the desert about 13 miles north of Rachel. The pilot, the mission commander of an eight-ship formation, ejected safely and was not injured. The planes serial number was 86-0173, of the 48th FW stationed at RAF Lakenheath, England.
Pilot, Capt. Christopher Kirby, ejected safely, and was recovered by an Army Air National Guard UH-60 helicopter crew from Company B, 1/108 Aviation, Tuksa
I was one of the first from Rachel to get to the scene. When I got there the pilot had already been airlifted back to Nellis, and two CH-47 Chinook transport helicopters were securing the area. The wingman of the crashed F-15 circled overhead, and on my scanner I could hear him talk to Nellis Control.
The subsequent crash investigation took only a little over a week. During that time the Air Force personnel stayed at the Little A'Le'Inn in Rachel. They did not talk much about their investigation, but I got the idea that they were looking into the possibility of pilot error. Apparently the plane entered a flat spin in 8000 ft and the pilot ejected after he was unable to regain control of the plane. Later the official accident report (see link) confirmed pilot error, blaming the accident on "overly aggressive maneuvering" and "a probable right-wing heavy fuel imbalance" that the pilot failed to correct.
During the investigation security at the crash site was very tight. Even on the nearest road, about a half-mile from the crash site on public land, security would not allow us to take any photos.
After the wreckage had been trucked out on two flat bed trucks and in various boxes and containers we inspected the site. Besides the extent of destruction of natural desert ground by the heavy cleanup equipment the most interesting fact is the absence of any scrape marks, and the small size of the impact site. It suggests that the plane fell straight down, like a rock. The site has been picked up quite good and only tiny pieces are left, but the impact point was clearly visible, and the strong odor of jet fuel was still in the air.
The tail number of the plane is AF 86-173, it was an F-15C from the 493rd FS, 48th FW at RAF Lakenheath. The plane was one of 12 sent to Nellis AFB to participate in the Green Flag exercises
Sources:
www.scramble.nl (Scramble 256)
http://usaf.aib.law.af.mil/ExecSum2000/F-15C_Nellis_3Aug00.pdf
http://web.archive.org/web/20171029221354/http://www.ejection-history.org.uk:80/aircraft_by_type/f-15.htm
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 02-Apr-2012 13:24 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Country, Phase, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
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