Date:	Friday 17 August 1984
Time:
Type:	McDonnell Douglas F-15B Eagle
Owner/operator:	43rd TFS, 21st TFW, USAF
Registration:	74-0139
MSN:	0066/B012
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	70 miles west of Talkeetna, Alaska -   United States of America
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	Elmendorf AFB, Alaska
Destination airport:
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
17 August 1984: F-15B, 74-0139, of the 43rd TFS, 21st TFW, USAF, crashed into a mountain in low visibility 70 miles west of Talkeetna Alaska, 90 miles northwest of Elmendorf AFB, Alaska. Crew - Captain Benjamin "Ben" A. Cotharin and Staff Sgt. Russell C. Johnson - were both killed. According to an eyewitness report:

"I am a SMSgt in the USAF I am a 2W191 weapons loader and have some information about one F-15 crash in Alaska for you.

Aircraft 74-0139 was assigned to the 21st TFW, 43rd TFS and crashed 70 miles west of Talkeetna Alaska on 17 Aug 1984. This was a F-15 B (two-seater). I know this as I was stationed in Alaska at Elmendorf from May 1983 - May 1993.

I cannot remember the pilot’s name, but I distinctly remember this crash as the backseater was Russel C. Johnson, a weapons loader, that had earned an incentive ride for winning a load competition and that is why he was in the back seat. I never saw the official report, other maintainers told me they were performing a loop and were too low/slow and hit the side of a mountain nose in. That is an unconfirmed rumor! The fact is, the plane crashed with an incentive rider and was a tragic loss at the time for Elmendorf and the flight line maintainers."

1. Associated Press (21 August 1984). "Jet crewmen die in crash". Daily Sitka Sentinel (Sitka, Alaska). The F-15 was reported missing Friday (August 17)
2. http://www.scramble.nl [Scramble]
3. http://web.archive.org/web/20171029221354/http://www.ejection-history.org.uk:80/aircraft_by_type/f-15.htm
4. [LINK NOT WORKING ANYMORE:http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1974.htm]l

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
25-Dec-2014 00:24	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Cn, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Country, Phase, Departure airport, Source, Narrative]
18-Aug-2022 06:08	Anon.	Updated [[Cn, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Country, Phase, Departure airport, Source, Narrative]]