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List of accidents and incidents involving military aircraft, 1975-1999

This is a list of notable accidents and incidents involving military aircraft grouped by the year in which the accident or incident occurred. For more exhaustive lists, see the Aircraft Crash Record Office or the Air Safety Network.

See also: List of accidents and incidents involving military aircraft, pre-1950
See also: List of accidents and incidents involving military aircraft, 1950-1974
See also: List of accidents and incidents involving military aircraft, 2000 -

1975

1976

Fort Walton Beach, Florida: Playground Daily News, Monday, February 2, 1976, page 2A.
  • 25 October - Lockheed SR-71A, 61-7965, Item 2016, lost near Lovelock, Nevada during night training sortie following INS platform failure. Pilot St. Martin and RSO Carnochan eject safely.Crickmore, Paul F. "Lockheed's Blackbirds: A-12, YF-12 and SR-71", Wings of Fame, Volume 8, AIRtime Publishing Inc., Westport, Connecticut, 1997, ISBN 1-880588-23-4, page 92.
  • 21 December - Imperial Iranian Air Force C-130H c.n. 4463, delivered as 5-148, September 1972, renumbered 5-142, November 1973, renumbered 5-8536, 1976, crashed during approach in bad weather to Shiraz, Iran.

1977

1978

  • 27 March - A USN F-14 Tomcat crashes and catapults across scrub grass to come to rest against a concrete highway divider on I-163 on approach to NAS Miramar, San Diego, California, exploding in flames. Both crew members eject seconds before impact; one fatality, no civilian deaths.
  • 19 October - A USAF B-52D-75-BO, 56-0594, of the 22nd Bomb Wing, crashes at 0730 hrs. in light fog in a plowed field ~2.5 miles SE of March AFB, near the rural community of Sunnymead, California, shortly after take-off. Five crew killed, but one is able to escape the burning wreckage and was reported in stable condition at the base hospital. Traffic was disrupted on nearby Interstate 15E. Columbia, South Carolina: The State, Jackson, Carol, Associated Press writer, B-52 Crashes Killing Five Of Six Crewmen, Friday, October 20, 1978, page 3-A.
  • 26 October - A USAF A-7D on flight from Tinker AFB, Oklahoma, crashes on approach to Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona, coming down in street between University of Arizona buildings and Mansfield Junior High School in Tucson, killing driver of auto struck by the fighter, and injuring at least six other civilians. Pilot Capt. Frederick Ashler, 28, ejected safely while passing over the university campus.
Columbia, South Carolina: The State, Friday, October 27, 1978, page 9A.
  • 7 November - USN A-4F Blue Angel, BuNo 155056, during pre-show exhibition at NAS Miramar, San Diego, California, pilot, Lt. Mike Curtain (sp?-Curtin?), dead on impact, no ejection.

1979

  • 23 January - Aeronautica Militare Italiana, Italian Air Force C-130H MM62000, '46-14', c/n 4497, of the 46 Aerobrigata, jumped chocks during engine run-up, hit tree, written-off. Parts used to support c/n 4491, MM61995 damaged in hard landing, Pisa, January 1999. Hull at Milan-Malpensa, Italy, December 1979, 1989.
  • 1 February - Pakistani Air Force C-130B 23488, c/n 3698, former USAF 62-3488, coded 'P', registered AQ-ACP, then AS-HFP, jumped chocks during night engine test run, collided with C-130E 10687, c/n 4117, former USAF 65-10687, coded 'D'. Both written off, hulls at Lahore, June 1981.

1980

  • 24 April - Operation Eagle Claw - A contingent of American military aircraft embarks on a commando raid to rescue a group of American hostages held by Iran. An unexpected sandstorm forces 2 USMC RH-53D Sea Stallion helicopters to divert before reaching the first rendezvous point and causes serious mechanical damage to a third, prompting commanders to abort the mission. While attempting to evacuate personnel and equipment that had already arrived at the rendezvous point, the pilot of another Sea Stallion loses situational awareness in dustcloud during takeoff and collides with a USAF C-130 Hercules, killing 8 US servicemen aboard both aircraft.
  • 29 October - A USAF C-130 Hercules outfitted with experimental JATO rockets for Operation Credible Sport, a planned second attempt to rescue American hostages held by Iran, is destroyed when the rockets misfire during a test landing at Duke Field, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, USA. All crew members survive, but the rescue operation is deemed excessively risky and is cancelled.

1981

Greenville, South Carolina: Greenville News, Tuesday, January 13, 1981, page 3A.
  • 6 May - A mechanical failure caused an abrupt nose pitch-down of USAF EC-135N ARIA, 61-0328, c/n 18235, to crash in a farmer's field, in Walkersville, Maryland. All 21 aboard were killed. Some of those aboard were family members. A memorial has been built at Walkersville Heritage Farm Park. Aircraft was originally delivered as a C-135A-BN Stratolifter.
  • 26 May - EA-6B Prowler crash landed on flight deck of 6, off the Florida coast Washington, D.C.: Washington Post, Tuesday, November 24, 1981, page A-10, killing 14 crewmen and injuring 45 others (some reports say 48). The crash was the result of the aircraft missing the last arresting cable, while ignoring a wave-off command. Forensic testing conducted found that several members of the deceased flightdeck crew tested positive for marijuana (the officers onboard the aircraft were never tested). The responsibility for the accident was placed on the deck crew. The official naval inquiry stated that the accident was the result of drug abuse by the enlisted crewmen of the Nimitz, despite the fact that every death occurred during the impact of the crash and not one member of the deck crew was killed fighting the fire. As a result of this incident, President Ronald Reagan instituted a "Zero Tolerance" policy across all of the armed services - which started the mandatory drug testing of all US service personnelAckerman, D. L. (1991). A history of drug testing. In R. H. Coombs & L. J. West (Eds.), Drug testing: Issues and options (pp. 3-21). Oxford: Oxford University Press, .
  • 29 October - A U.S. Navy EA-6B Prowler from NAS Whidbey Island, Washington, crashes at 0850 hrs. in a rural field near Virginia Beach, Virginia, killing three crew. Wreckage sprayed onto nearby houses, a barn and a stable with 35 horses, but no fires were sparked and there were no ground injuries. The Prowler had departed NAS Norfolk with three other aircraft at 0832 hrs., bound for the USS John F. Kennedy, off the Virginia coast before crashing three miles from NAS Oceana. Navy officials said they did not know if the pilot was trying for Oceana. Washington, D.C.: Washington Post, "Three Die in Navy Crash" Friday, October 30, 1981, page A-3
Washington, D.C.: Washington Post, Bomber With Eight Aboard Crashes in Colorado, Saturday, October 31, 1981, page A-6.
  • 30 October - A USAF B-52D-55-BO, 55-078, of the 22nd Bomb Wing, March AFB, California, crashes on the eastern Colorado prairie near La Junta at 0630 hrs. while on a low-level (400 foot altitude) training mission, killing all eight crew. No weapons were onboard.
  • 17 November - US Navy Lockheed S-3 Viking from the 6, is lost near Sardinia with all four aviators killed. Washington, D.C.: Washington Post, Tuesday, November 24, 1981, page A-10
  • 22 November - US Navy Ling-Temco-Vought A-7E Corsair II from the 6 air wing and based at Cecil Field, Florida, crashed at 1200 hrs. ~120 miles NW of Sardinia. Fighter was returning to the ship after routine mission. Washington, D.C.: Washington Post, Tuesday, November 24, 1981, page A-10

1982

  • 18 January - Worst accident in U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds Demonstration Team history, when four T-38As crashed during pre-season training. While practicing the 4 plane diamond loop, the formation impacted the ground at high speed, instantly killing all four pilots: Major Norm Lowry, leader, Captain Willie Mays, Captain Pete Peterson and Captain Mark Melancon. The cause of the crash was officially listed by the USAF as the result of a mechanical problem with the 1 aircraft's control stick actuator. During formation flight, the wing and slot pilots visually cue off of the 1 lead aircraft, completely disregarding their positions in relation to the ground.
  • 25 May - An RAF F-4 Phantom II piloted by Roy Lawrence and Alistair Inverarity was engaging an RAF SEPECAT Jaguar piloted by Steve Griggs in training exercises. During the encounter the Phantom shot a live AIM-9 Sidewinder forcing the Jaguar pilot to eject.
  • 29 November - Shortly after completing a training mission, a USAF B-52G-130-BW, 59-4766, suffered hydraulics fire in nose gear, exploded at the end of the runway at Castle AFB, California, but crew of nine escaped before it was fully engulfed. Aircraft commander ordered evacuation as soon as he learned of the wheel fire.
Washington, D.C.: Washington Post, Associated Press, B52 Explodes After Landing, Tuesday, November 30, 1982, page A-18. New York, N.Y.: New York Times, Wednesday, December 1, 1982, page B-4.

1983

  • 27 January - Five are killed and eight injured when a USAF B-52G Stratofortress catches fire and explodes at 0930 hrs. on the ramp at Grand Forks AFB, North Dakota. The Stratofortress was undergoing routine fuel cell maintenance after flying a training mission the previous night.
Arlington, Virginia: USA Today, Friday, January 28, 1983, page 3A. Washington, D.C.: Washington Post, Friday, April 29, 1983, page C-2.

1984

  • 16 October - An unarmed USAF B-52G-80-BW, 57‑6479, of the 92nd Bomb Wing out of Fairchild AFB, Washington, crashed about 2100 hrs. into a mesa on the Navajo reservation in northeastern Arizona 13 miles NE of Kayenta, during a low-level training flight. Eight crew eject and recovered in a day; one ejects, missing; gunner KWF.
Washington, D.C.: Washington Post, Thursday, October 18, 1984, page A-7.

1985

1986

  • 22 May - US Navy A-6E Intruder, bound for the USS John F. Kennedy at Puerto Rico, crashes on takeoff from NAS Oceana, Virginia Beach, Virginia, at 1105 hrs., killing two crew and one motorist on Oceana Boulevard. Aircraft had no munitions but carried a full fuel load and burst into flame as it came down just outside the station perimeter, killing pilot Lt. James P. Hoban, 26, of River Vale, New Jersey, and bombardier-navigator Lt. Michael F. Wilson, 27, of Medford, New Jersey, as well as Navy wife Tammy Fowler, 25, of Virginia Beach, in the vehicle on Oceana Boulevard. Navy officials said that this was the first Navy plane crash in the area in more than two years. Witnesses reported that the Intruder's tail appeared to be on fire as it came down. Washington, D.C.: Washington Post, Sherwood, Tom, staff writer, "3 Die in Virginia Crash of Navy Jet" Friday, May 23, 1986, page C-3Washington, D.C.: Washington Times, "Bomber crash kills three", Friday, May 23, 1986, page 10B

1987

  • 24 June - RAF SEPECAT Jaguar GR.1A, XZ386, '05', of 226 OCU, suffers loss of control/controlled flight into terrain three miles (5 km.) SE of Builth Wells, Powys, Wales. Pilot KWF.Stamford, Lincs., U.K.: Air Forces Monthly, compiled by Dave Allport, June 2002, Number 171, page 82.
  • 20 October - USAF Ling-Temco-Vought A-7D Corsair II, 69-6207, of the 4450th Tactical Group, Nellis AFB, Nevada, loses all power 15 miles S of Indianapolis, Indiana at 31,000 feet while en route from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Tinker AFB, Oklahoma. Pilot tries to dead-stick into Indianapolis International Airport but receives poor direction from air traffic controllers and crashes at ~0915 hrs. during late turn after aiming plane at a baseball fieldNorfolk, Virginia: The Virginian-Pilot, Haner, Jim, and Thrisdell, Roberta, staff writers, "Life in flight path can be dicey", Thursday, November 8, 1990, pages A1, A22 but fighter veers, striking bank branch roof and hitting center of Ramada Inn across the street, killing nine employees, injuring five others. Pilot Maj. Bruce L. Teagarden, 35, ejected, suffering bruises and muscle strain. Washington, D.C.: Washington Post, Parker, Laura, and Peterson, Bill, staff writers, "Air Force Jet Hits Indiana Hotel After Losing Power; Nine Killed" Wednesday, October 21, 1987, page A-1, A-8 He lands in parking lot of Ace Supply Company, four blocks from the hotel. Washington, D.C.: Washington Post, Parker, Laura, staff writer, "Pilot Said Jet Flipped Out of Control In Landing Attempt, Witnesses Report" Thursday, October 22, 1981, page A-20 Air Force pays out $50,427 in property claims damages, according to the New York Times on 26 October.
New York, N.Y.: New York Times, "Property Claims Paid by Air Force At $50,427 in Indianapolis Crash", Monday, October 26, 1987, page B-10.

1988

  • 24 April - Marine Corps Colonel Jerry Cadick, then commanding officer of MAG-11, was performing stunts at the MCAS El Toro Air Show before a crowd of 300,000 when he crashed his F/A-18 Hornet at the bottom of a loop that was too close to the ground.[20] The aircraft was in a nose-high attitude, but still carrying too much energy toward the ground when it impacted at more than 300 mph (480 km/h). Col. Cadick was subjected to extremely high G forces that resulted in his face making contact with the control stick and sustaining serious injury. He broke his arm, elbow and ribs, exploded a vertebra and collapsed a lung. Col. Cadick survived and retired from the Marine Corps. The F/A-18 remained largely intact but was beyond repair.
  • 6 May - CH-53D with Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron-46 crashed into South China Sea killing all 17 on board.
  • 12 July - CT-39E Sabreliner, BuNo 158381, c/n 282-93, ex-N4701N, en route from Singapore to Subic Bay Naval Station, Philippines, comes down in the afternoon in the South China Sea near the Spratly Island archipelago, after radioing a distress signal of equipment failure. Vietnamese Navy ship (described by Joe Baugher as a fishing vessel) picks up three American crew, two men and one woman, said a spokesman at the Vietnamese embassy in Bangkok on 15 July, and took them to Vietnam where they were being "treated very kindly". Arrangements would be made to repatriate the crew. At this time the United States and Vietnam had not yet reestablished diplomatic relations.Washington, D.C.: Washington Post, Richburg, Keith B., 3 U.S. Fliers Saved at Sea By Vietnam: Hanoi to Return Americans Quickly, Saturday, July 16, 1988, page A-17.
  • 17 August – A PAF C-130B Hercules, 23494, 'R' (ex-USAF 62-3494), c/n 3708, crashes near the Pakistani town of Bahawalpur, killing everyone aboard, including the President of Pakistan General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, American Ambassador to Pakistan Arnold Lewis Raphel, Head of Pakistan's military intelligence General Akther Abdul Rehman and nearly all of the top military brass of the Pakistan Army.
  • 28 August – Ramstein airshow disaster: Three of the ten Aermacchi MB-339PAN jets from the Italian Air Force display team Frecce Tricolori collide in mid-air in front of the audience while performing their 'pierced heart' formation. One aircraft crashes directly into the crowd. Sixty-seven spectators and all three pilots are killed and 346 seriously injured in the resulting explosion and fire.
  • 5 December - A U.S. Navy EA-6B Prowler goes missing over the Pacific Ocean during training exercise 900 miles off San Diego. Search fails to find any sign of the four crew.
Washington, D.C.: Washington Post, Wednesday, December 7, 1988, page A-17.
  • 6 December - A USAF B-52H-150-BW, 60-0040, crashed on the runway at 0115 hrs. EST at K.I. Sawyer AFB, Michigan, while doing touch-and-goes after a seven-hour training flight. No weapons were aboard the bomber, which broke into three parts. All crew survived, crawling or being helped from the nose section, without sustaining burns.
  • 8 December – Remscheid plane crash: An USAF A-10 Thunderbolt II crashes into the West German town of Remscheid. The pilot and five residents are killed, and a further 50 people injured.

1989

  • 29 January - A RCAF CC-130E, 130318, formerly 10318, c/n 4124, of 43 Squadron, participating in annual Brim Frost exercises hits runway lights and a river bank short of the runway and crashes onto the runway at Wainwright AAF, Alaska at -46 degrees Fahrenheit. Eleven of the eighteen occupants are killed. ASN Aircraft accident Lockheed CC-130E Hercules 130318 Fairbanks-Fort Wainwright Airport, AK (FBK)
  • 2 February - The first prototype JAS 39 Gripen crashed on its sixth flight when landing in Linköping as a result of pilot-induced oscillation. The accident was filmed in a now famous recording by a crew from Sveriges Television's Aktuellt. Sveriges Television, News footage of the 1989 and 1993 crashes (in Swedish) The pilot remained in the tumbling aircraft, and escaped miraculously with just a fractured arm.
  • 21 April - Lockheed SR-71A, 61-7974, Item 2025, outbound on operational sortie from Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, suffers engine explosion, total hydraulic failure. Pilot Maj. Dan E. House and RSO Capt. Blair L. Bozek both eject safely. This was the final Blackbird loss before the type was withdrawn from service.Crickmore, Paul F. "Lockheed's Blackbirds: A-12, YF-12 and SR-71", Wings of Fame, Volume 8, AIRtime Publishing Inc., Westport, Connecticut, 1997, ISBN 1-880588-23-4, page 93.
  • 15 May - US Navy CT-39E Sabreliner, BuNo 158383, 'JK', of VRC-40, NAS Norfolk, Virginia, runs off runway at Andrews AFB, Maryland, at 1100 hrs. Crew of four and one passenger uninjured.Washington, D.C.: Washington Post, Accident at Andrews, Tuesday, May 16, 1989, page B-7.
  • 4 July - A "runaway" Soviet MiG-23 crashes into a farmhouse in Belgium, killing an 18-year-old man.
  • 30 November - An A-4F Skyhawk assigned to the US Navy Top Gun school crashed short of the runaway at NAS Miramar, north of San Diego, California. The cause of the crash was loss of power to the engine. The pilot, an instructor in the Top Gun school, ejected safely.

1990

Washington, D.C.: Washington Post, Thursday, May 31, 1990, page A-20. The information available strongly suggests that the flight consisted on an A-7D and an A-7K two-seater.
  • 6 November - Crew of an US Navy A-6E Intruder, '506', of VA-176, suffering engine fire, aim bomber away from Virginia Beach, Virginia oceanfront before ejecting just after takeoff from NAS Oceana, Virginia's Runway 5. Bomber comes down at 1015 hrs. in the Atlantic Ocean ~.75 miles offshore, after just clearing the Station One Hotel, on-shore breeze carries crew inland about three blocks from the beach, one landing in a tree, the other in a courtyard of a condominium, suffering only cuts and bruises. Aircraft, on routine training mission, was unarmed. Officials did not identify the crew, but said the pilot was a 29-year old lieutenant, and the bombardier-navigator was a 34-year old lieutenant commander, both assigned to VA-176.Chicago, Illinois: Chicago Tribune, "2 Navy fliers eject from burning jet", Thursday, November 8, 1990, Section 1, Page 5 Norfolk, Virginia: The Virginian-Pilot, Dorsey, Jack, staff writer, "Jet crew avoided disaster: Steered craft away from Beach resort", Thursday, November 8, 1990, pages A1, A22.
  • December 6 - An MB-326 jet from the Italian Air Force crashes into a high school in Casalecchio di Reno, Italy. Twelve students are killed, 84 more are severely injured. The pilot ejected after losing control of the plane.

1991

  • 24 January - A-7E Corsair II, BuNo 158830, 'AC 403', of VA-72 has the dubious distinction of being the last of the type in US Navy service to need a barricade landing aboard a carrier when the nose gear was damaged on catapult launch from the USS John F. Kennedy, CV-67, at start of mission 12.41 against a target in western Iraq, losing one tire. Pilot, Lt. Tom Dostie, succeeds in hooking 1-wire and aircraft snags safely in barricade. Since the A-7 type was about to be retired, airframe is stripped for parts and buried at sea 25 January with full military honors, but refuses to sink until strafed by air wing jets.Mersky, Peter B., "SLUF swansong : A-7 Corsair II in the Gulf, 1990-1991", International Air Power Review, Volume 1, AIRtime Publishing Inc., Westport, Connecticut, Summer 2001, ISBN 1473-9917, pages 123-126.
  • 3 March - US Navy T-39 Sabreliner crashed at 1145 hrs. in a neighborhood ~.5 miles S of NAS Glenview, Illinois, killing three crew, but missing houses. No one on ground was injured and witnesses said the pilot appeared to intentionally avoid structures, the jet coming down 20 feet from homes.Washington, D.C.: Washington Post, Navy Plane Crashes in a Chicago Suburb, Monday, March 4, 1991, page A-7.Arlington, Virginia: USA Today, Johnson, Kevin, Three die in Illinois crash; residents hail pilot as hero, Monday, March 4, 1991, page 6A.
  • 21 March – Two US Navy P-3 Orion anti-submarine planes are lost during a training mission off the San Diego coast. The crash occurs in a storm 60 miles SW of San Diego at 0230 hrs., as one plane flies to relieve the other, which had been airborne for seven hours. Search-and-rescue workers discover wreckage from the downed planes but all 27 crewmen are lost. The two aircraft were assigned to Patrol Squadron 50, based at Moffett Naval Air Station in Mountain View.
  • 5 June - A Royal Australian Air Force F/A-18A, A21-041, of 75 Squadron, crashes 100 kilometres NE of Weipa, Queensland. The pilot was killed. The wreckage was found in July 1994.
  • 29 October - A Royal Australian Air Force Boeing 707-368C, A20-103, c.n 21103/905, stalled and crashed into the sea near RAAF Base East Sale, VIC, Australia killing all five crew. The crash was attributed to a simulation of asymmetric flight resulting in a sudden and violent departure from controlled flight. ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 707-368C A20-103 East Sale, VIC, Australia
  • 30 November - During routine training mission, pilot Lt. Michael Young, 28, bailed out of his disabled USAF A-7D of the 180th TFG, Ohio Air National Guard, based at Toledo Express Airport, Swanton, Ohio, over the coast of Michigan's Thumb area. He landed in Lake Huron, and was dragged 12 miles in his parachute by winds before being lost and presumed drowned. The jet impacted in a wooded area near Port Hope, Michigan. Rescuers were unable to reach pilot at the speed he was being dragged, and survival was unlikely in the 38-degree water.
Toledo, Ohio: The Blade, Thursday, December 5, 1991, page C-2.

1992

  • 6 February - A Kentucky Air National Guard C-130B, 58-0732, c.n. 3527, of the 165th Tactical Airlift Squadron, stalls and crashes into the JoJo's restaurant and Drury Inn while practicing touch and go maneuvers at the Evansville, Indiana Airport. All five crew members and nine people on the ground were killed. Several others were injured.
  • April - A Marine Corps CH-46 suffers a catastrophic explosion and crashes into the Red Sea, killing four Marines including the pilot and injuring eight Marines.
  • 20 July - An MV-22 Osprey prototype, BuNo 163914, catches fire and falls into the Potomac River at MCAS Quantico, Virginia, USA, killing 5 crew members in front of an audience of high-ranking US government officials; this is the first of a series of fatal accidents involving the controversial tiltrotor aircraft.
  • 13 October - Antonov An-124 Ruslan, SSSR-82002, believed destined for Aeroflot, on test flight by Antonov/Aviastar, suffers nose cargo door failure during high-speed descent (part of test program) resulting in total loss of control. Airframe comes down in forest near Kiev, killing eight of nine crew.Gaines, Mike, "Heavyweight champ", Jets, IPC Media Ltd., London, UK, Winter 2001, page 53.

1993

  • 27 April – A Zambian Air Force DHC-5 Buffalo crashed shortly after takeoff from Libreville, Gabon. One engine caught fire and failed; the tired pilot then shut down the wrong engine, causing a complete loss of power during the climb and leading to a crash 500 metres offshore. The plane was carrying the Zambia national football team to a 1994 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Senegal. All 30 on board, including 18 players, the coach, and team support staff, were killed.
  • 24 July - At 1517 hrs. two MiG-29s of the Russian Flight Research Institute took off for a demonstration at RIAT RAF Fairford 1993, but during display suffer mid-air collision, both pilots ejecting safely. Video of this accident is widely available on the internet.
  • 8 August - A JAS 39 Gripen crashed on the central Stockholm island of Långholmen, near the Västerbron bridge, during a slow speed manoeuver during a display over the Stockholm Water Festival. The same pilot as in the 1989 incident ejected safely. Despite large crowds standing by watching, no one on the ground was seriously injured. This crash was caused by a PIO.

1994

  • 23 March - Green Ramp Disaster A mid-air collision between a C-130 Hercules, 68-10942, and a F-16D Fighting Falcon, 88-0171, causes a ground crash between the F-16 and a C-141 Starlifter, 66-0173. This propelled the wreckage of the F-16 into paratroopers preparing for a practice drop killing 24 and injuring many more. The C-130 landed safely.
  • 5 April - A U.S. Navy A-6 Intruder, based at NAS Alameda, crashes into the San Francisco Bay, California at 1200 hrs., close to the mid-span of the San Francisco-Oakland bridge, killing two crew, the Coast Guard said.Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Wednesday, April 6, 1994, page A-10.
  • 14 April - Two U.S. Army Blackhawk helicopters are mistakenly shot down by USAF F-15 Eagle jets while patrolling the no-fly zone over Iraq, killing 26 personnel in what is known as the Black Hawk Incident.
  • 2 June - A Royal Air Force Boeing Chinook HC.2 helicopter, ZD576, 'G', of Odiham Wing, crashes near Campbeltown, Scotland, killing 29 crew and passengers, including several top officials of the Royal Ulster Constabulary.Stamford, Lincs., U.K.: Air Forces Monthly, compiled by Dave Allport, July 1998, Number 124, pages 59-60.
  • 24 June - 'Czar 52', a USAF B-52H-170-BW Stratofortress, 61-0026, crashes during an airshow practice at Fairchild AFB. After having rehearsed the maneuvers profile that in itself was dangerous to fly in a B-52, the aircraft came into land. Due to a KC-135 Stratotanker still being on the runway, the aircraft was required to make a 'go around'. After beginning a 360-degree turn left, the aircraft exceeded 90 degrees angle of bank, stalled and crashed into the ground. All four aircrew members were killed in the crash. An in-depth case study by Major Tony Kern of the USAF
  • 24 October - US Navy F-14A Tomcat, BuNo 160390, of VF-213 crashed on approach to the carrier USS Abraham Lincoln CVN-72, operating 40 miles (65 km.) off the Southern California coast, killing Lt. Kara Hultgreen, the first female Tomcat-qualified pilot in the Navy. RIO Lt. Matthew P. Klemish ejected and was rescued. Due to low-speed rolling turn, the ejections were on the edge of the seat capabilities, and Hultgreen's did not have time to fully sequence. Her body was recovered by a Navy salvage team, still strapped into her seat less than 100 yards (90 m.) from her F-14 on the seabed.Stamford, Lincs., U.K.: Air Forces Monthly, compiled by Dave Allport, January 1995, Number 82, pages 58-59.

1995

  • 21 May-22 May - Historic B-29-95-BW Superfortress, 45-21768, "Kee Bird", of the 46th/72nd Reconnaissance Squadrons, abandoned in 1947 and recently restored to flying condition after a number of highly calamitous setbacks, is severely damaged by fire while attempting to take off from a frozen lakebed in Greenland. Its remains are abandoned to sink into the melting ice.
  • 2 September - RAF Kinloss Wing Nimrod MR.2, XV239, crashes into Lake Ontario, at Toronto, Canada during the 46th Canadian National Exhibition International airshow, killing all seven crew of 120 Squadron.Stamford, Lincs., U.K.: Air Forces Monthly, compiled by Dave Allport, November 1995, Number 92, page 58. YouTube - Plane Crashes into Ocean Video of this crash is widely available on the internet.
  • 22 September – A USAF E-3B Sentry, 77-0354, c/n 21554, of the 961st AACS, 552nd ACW, crashes shortly after take off from Elmendorf AFB, Alaska, when a flock of Canadian snow geese were ingested by its engines. All 26 crew members die, including 2 Canadian air crew members. This was the first loss of an E-3 since the type entered service in 1977.Stamford, Lincs., U.K.: Air Forces Monthly, compiled by Dave Allport, November 1995, Number 92, page 60.

1996

  • 3 April - A USAF Boeing CT-43, 73-1149 (c/n 20696), on an official trade mission, crashed on approach to Dubrovnik Airport, Croatia, killing United States Secretary of Commerce Ron Brown and 34 other people.
  • 12 June – Two Australian Army S-70A Black Hawk helicopters collide during a night training exercise near Townsville, Queensland, killing 18 soldiers.
  • 15 July – At approximately 1803 hrs., a Belgian Lockheed C-130H Hercules, registration number CH-06, c/n 4473, crashed at Eindhoven Air Base in the Netherlands after bird strikes stopped three engines. A total of 34 people lost their lives as a result of the accident, and seven people were seriously injured.

1997

  • 4 February - Two Israeli CH-53 Sea Stallion Yas'ur 2000s, 357 and 903, collide in darkness near the remote She'ar Yeshuv kibbutz, over northern Israel at ~1900 hrs. in a storm, killing 73 Israel Defense Forces soldiers. See 1997 Israeli helicopter disaster.Stamford, Lincs., U.K.: Air Forces Monthly, compiled by Dave Allport, April 1997, Number 109, page 58.
  • 13 September - German Air Force Tupolev 154M, 11+02, of 1 Staffel/FBS, used for Open Skies treaty verification, collided with a US Air Force C-141B Starlifter, 65-9405, of the 305th AMW, about 120 km (75 miles) W of the coast of Namibia over the Atlantic Ocean, killing all 24 aboard. Accident investigations by both countries, released 31 March 1998, found that the Tu-154 was flying at the wrong altitude, 35,000 feet (11,600 m.) instead of 39,000 feet (12,900 m.), and was thus primarily at fault. Contributory factor was chronically poor ATC in the area.Stamford, Lincs., U.K.: Air Forces Monthly, compiled by Dave Allport, June 1998, Number 123, page 74.
  • 5 December - Russian Air Force Antonov An-124 Ruslan, RA-82005, delivering two Sukhoi Su-27 Flankers to Vietnam, loses both port engines at 200 feet (60 m) on take-off from Irkutsk, crashing into residential area, killing eight crew, 15 passengers, and 45 on the ground (some accounts list higher ground casualties). Cause was thought to be either contaminated fuel or wrong grade of fuel, taken on at Irkutsk.Gaines, Mike, "Heavyweight champ", Jets, IPC Media Ltd., London, UK, Winter 2001, page 53.

1998

1999

  • 21 January – A Nicaraguan Air Force Antonov An-26, 126, c/n 14206, crashes into a mountain near Bluefields, Nicaragua killing all 28 on board. ASN Aircraft accident Antonov 26 152 Bluefields
  • 21 January - Royal Air Force Panavia Tornado GR.1 ZA330 crashed into a Cessna 152, G-BPZX near Mattersley Nottinghamshire. In the Air Accident Report 3/2000 the conclusion was none of the pilots saw each other in time to take avoiding action. Both crew of the Tornado Flight Lieutenant Greg Hurst and Sottotenete Matteo Di Carlo as well as the pilot and passenger in the Cessna were killed.
  • 7 March – An Indian Air Force Antonov An-32 crashes upon landing in New Delhi, India during poor weather. All 19 people on board are killed.
  • 18 April - Royal Australian Air Force F-111G, A8-291, of 6 Sqn., crashes about 2230 hrs. while on exercises in Malaysia. Believed to have hit one of two peaks on small island Pulua Aur, off the east coast of the Malay Peninsula, and then crashed into the South China Sea. The two crew, Sqn. Ldr. Steve Hobbs and Flt. Lt. Anthony Short, are killed.Stamford, Lincs., U.K.: Air Forces Monthly, compiled by Dave Allport, July 1999, Number 136, page 73.
  • 27 May - An Indian Air Force HAL MiG-27L of 9 Wolfpack Sqn. suffers flame-out, fails to get relight, over Hunzi Ghund, Pakistan, during Kargil conflict. The MiG-27 pilot, Flt Lt K. Nachiketa successfully ejected at 1045 hrs., and he was captured by Pakistani ground forces as a POW. Pakistan claimed it as a shoot-down.Stamford, Lincs., U.K.: Air Forces Monthly, July 1999, Number 136, pages 74-75.
  • 27 May - An Indian Air Force MiG-21MF, C-1539, of 17 Golden Arrows Sqn., is shot down by a Pakistani FIM-92 Stinger while searching for downed MiG-27 pilot during the Kargil conflict. Aircraft comes down at 1105 hrs., some 7.5 miles (12 km.) inside occupied Kashmir. Although pilot Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja ejected safely, Pakistan claimed he had been killed. After his body was returned 28 May, "initial examination found bullet wounds which suggested he had been shot after ejecting. This was the first time since 1971 that India had lost an aircraft to hostile fire."Stamford, Lincs., U.K.: Air Forces Monthly, July 1999, Number 136, page 75.
  • 28 May - An Indian Air Force Mi-17 Hip helicopter is shot down by Pakistan air defence units using an FIM-92 Stinger missile during the Kargil conflict. Four IAF personnel were killed.
  • 12 June - Russian Air Force Sukhoi Su-30MK-1 demonstrator '01' with vectored thrust crashes on opening day of the Paris Air Show at Le Bourget Airport. At the completion of a downward spiralling maneuver, the tail contacted the grass surface. With almost no forward speed the fighter was able to pull away from the ground, wings level, with an up pitch of 10-15 degrees and climb to ~150 feet (46 m), with the right jet nozzle deflected fully up and flames engulfing the left engine. Sukhoi test pilot Vyacheslav Averynov initiated ejection with navigator Vladimir Shendrikh departing the aircraft first. The Zvezda K-36D-3.5 ejection seats work perfectly and both crew descend on a taxiway unhurt. The Su-30 impacted some distance from the crew. Video of this accident is widely available on the internet.Stamford, Lincs., U.K.: Air Forces Monthly, Alan Dawes, "That Crash - at Le Bourget", August 1999, Number 137, pages 50-53. YouTube - Su-30MKI crash at Paris Air Show Le Bourget 1999
  • 10 August - A Pakistan Navy Breguet Atlantic, believed to be serialled '91', c/n 33, of 29 Squadron, is shot down by Indian Air Force jets, citing airspace violation. Dubbed the Atlantique Incident, it raises tensions between India and Pakistan.Stamford, Lincs., U.K.: Air Forces Monthly, compiled by Dave Allport, June 2001, Number 159, page 78.
  • 20 September - A Swedish Air Force JAS-39 Gripen, 39156, '56', of F7 Wing, 2nd Sqn., crashes into Lake Vänern at about 1430 hrs. during an air-to-air combat exercise. Aircraft sank in about 260 feet of water (80 m). Pilot ejected safely and was recovered by Hkp 10 SAR helicopter. The accident was caused by a design flaw in the plane's control system, rendering it in a stalled mode after passing another plane's vortex. This was the first loss of a Gripen since the type became operational. The accident report from the Swedish Accident Investigation Board (in Swedish)Stamford, Lincs., U.K.: Air Forces Monthly, compiled by Dave Allport, November 1999, Number 140, pages 77-78.
  • 10 December – A United States Air Force C-130E Hercules, 63-7854, of 61st Airlift Squadron, 463rd Airlift Group, crashes during landing at Ahmed Al Jaber air base, Kuwait City, Kuwait killing three of the 94 people on board. Investigation report, released 31 March 2000, blamed crew complacency and failure to follow governing directives during approach to the runway, failing to monitor instruments, a critical function for night flying in reduced visibility.Stamford, Lincs., U.K.: Air Forces Monthly, compiled by Dave Allport, June 2000, Number 171, page 76.

See also

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References

es:Anexo:Accidentes e incidentes notables en la aviación militar

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