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F-14 Accidents & Losses
This page gives you - in addition to the BuNo pages - a listing of F-14 crashes and accidents where the Bureau Numbers are not known to me so far.
| BuNo |
Type |
Unit |
Modex # |
Date |
| ?????? |
F-14B |
VF-32 |
AB |
 02.March 2002: launch crew indicated that the front nose gear
assembly disintigrated during the launch, causing the plane to fail in getting enough speed to get airborne. Both crewmen ejected but the pilot's
chute failed to engage. |
| ?????? |
F-14B |
VF-143 |
|
12.08.1997: The pilot of the F-14B was accidentally ejected from the aircraft during a landing aboard USS John C. Stennis. It's said that the Rio had an older GPS system they used to clip to the handle on top of their console. He hadn't stowed it prior to arrestment and during the violent stop from the hook/wire the GPS system got thrown forward from momentum and hit the pilots rocket motor iniator which bypassed the whole ejection system (pilot never touched the ejection handles ...) Next thing the pilot went THROUGH the canopy! He was recovered from the water by helicopter. Stennis personnel rescued the RIO from the pilotless aircraft as it sat on the flight deck with engines still running. Aircraft was repaired and is back in service.
|
| ?????? |
F-14 |
|
|
1996: The following happened during carrier air wing training. The weather during
this night recovery training was bad and deteriorated quickly. It became so bad, that incoming
aircraft had problems finding the ship.
The involved F-14 began its first approach at a fuel state of 7,500 pounds. The first pass was
a large overshoot and was waved off. On the second approach, the crew called the "tanker
state" and was waved off again and headed for the waiting A-6 tanker. Due to the bad weather,
the joinup with the A-6 occured some 60 miles away from the carrier, where clouds broke up and
both aircraft were going in and out of dense rain clouds. After plugging, the F-14 crew waited for
the green light to confirm the A-6's buddy store was working. Fuel state was now down to
2,100 pounds.
The nearest divert airfiled was 230 miles away, so the only option was to land on the carrier.
The F-14 engaged multiple times the tanker's buddy store in case it was a temporary F-14
refuelling probe problem. Which is wasn't. Having confirmed this, the crew called the carrier to
launch an alert tanker ... But unfortunately the alert tanker had shut down already! It would
take some 15 minutes to restart and launch the KA-6 tanker.
Fuel state was at 1,200 pounds. The F-14 continued towards the carrier to expedite the rendevouz
with the alert tanker. The tanker launched earlier than expected and joined up with the F-14.
Both were flying in and out of clouds with thunderstorms. As the F-14 pilot passed the lead to
the tanker, lightning struck both aircraft. As vision returned to the F-14 pilot, the fuel state
was down to a mere 800 pounds and finally the tanker was visible in the clouds.
The F-14 closed in on the tanker but lost sight again in the thick clouds. Fuel state was down
below 600 pounds. When the clouds broke up again, the tanker was right ahead of the Tomcat and
the basket was close to the refuelling probe. Ten more seconds and they would be receiving fuel
from the tanker. But then due to a lack of remaining fuel the F-14 engines flamed out, one after
the other. The F-14 was lost. There was not a lot left to do: After a position call, the crew
punched out and was rescued by helicopter after an hour in the water. |
| ?????? |
F-14A |
VF-21 |
|
18.04.1995: Two VF-21 aviators ejected from their
F-14A aboard USS Independence whem the nose wheel slipped off the port side of the flight deck
as they were taxiing inot position for launch. Both crew members were rescued uninjured. The F-14
was recovered from the edge with only minor damage. |
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