List of F-15 losses

This is a list of losses involving the F-15; the F-15 Eagle, F-15 Strike Eagle, and other F-15 variants. Of the 21 lost, just two were shot down in combat, by ground fire.

Accidents and losses

• 12 September 1981. During an airshow at Soesterberg AB Netherlands USAFE F-15C 80-0007/BT 22nd TFS/ 36th TFW crashed while attempting to land. Aircraft had just been delivered to the 36th TFW and had only 9.5 hours on the clock. Pilot did not eject but was safe.^[1]

• On 1 May 1983, during an Israeli Air Force training dogfight, an F-15D collided with an A-4 Skyhawk. Unknown to pilot Zivi Nedivi and his copilot, the right wing of the Eagle was sheared off roughly two feet (60 cm) from the fuselage. The F-15 entered a controllable spin after the collision. Zivi decided to attempt recovery and engaged afterburner to increase speed, allowing him to regain control of the aircraft. The pilot was able to prevent stalling and maintain control because of the lift generated by the large horizontal surface area of the fuselage, the stabilators and remaining wing areas. The F-15 landed at twice the normal speed to maintain the necessary lift, and its tailhook was torn off completely during the landing during a failed attempt at using the emergency arresting gear installed on the runway to bring the aircraft to a halt. Zivi managed to bring his F-15 to a complete stop approximately 20 ft (6 m) from the end of the runway. He was later quoted as saying "(I) probably would have ejected if I knew what had happened."^[2][3]

• During the 1991 Gulf War two F-15E Strike Eagles were shot down by ground fire, one on January 18 (88-1689) and the other on January 19 (88-1692). The crew of the first plane were killed, the crew of the second were taken prisoner.^[4]

• On 22 November 1995, during air-intercept training over the Sea of Japan, a Japanese F-15J flown by Lt. Tatsumi Higuchi was shot down by a AIM-9L Sidewinder missile accidentally fired by his wingman. The pilot ejected safely. Both F-15Js involved were from JASDF 303rd Squadron, Komatsu AFB.^[5]

• On 26 March 2001,^[6] during a low flying training exercise over the Scottish Highlands, two US Air Force F-15Cs crashed near the summit of Ben Macdui in the Cairngorms.^[7] Both, Lieutenant Colonel Kenneth John Hyvonen and Captain Kirk Jones died in the accident which would later result in a court martial for an RAF air traffic controller, who was later found not guilty.^[8]

• On 30 April 2002, an F-15C Eagle of the 46th Test Wing, based at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, crashed in the Gulf of Mexico approximately 60 miles south of Panama City, Florida, killing test pilot Maj. James A. Duricy, assigned to the 40th Test Squadron, 46th Test Wing. An Accident Investigation Board determined that the crash was caused by the structural failure of the honeycomb material supporting the leading edge of the port vertical stabilizer during a high-speed test dive. A section of the leading edge, approximately 6 x 3 feet, broke away.^[9]

• On 7 April 2003, F-15E 88-1694/SJ of 4th FW/335th FS shoot down near Tikrit, Iraq, both the pilot and Weapon Systems Officer (WSO) were killed.^[10]

• On 4 June 2003, F-15E 87-0186 of the 334th FS crashed in an unpopulated wooded area near Seymour Johnson AFB. The Mishap Crew ejected and sustained only minor injuries. The crash was due to a malfunction of the right stabilator which caused the aircraft to go into an unrecoverable spin.^[11]

• On 7 June 2006, an F-15K crashed off the coast of Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea, during a nighttime intercept training mission, killing both crew members. The Republic of Korea Air Force commissioned a full investigation. The ROKAF later issued a public statement saying that the accident was apparently caused by both crew members entering a state of g-LOC that lasted 16 seconds and resulted in loss of control of the aircraft. Subsequent public outcry ensued with accusations of a cover-up because the blackbox was never recovered, and F-15Ks are equipped with automatic GLC (G Limited Control anti g-LOC device) systems. In addition the crew members were both seasoned Air Force veterans and the claim that both lost consciousness simultaneously was questioned in the press.^[12] (However, ROKAF reported that F-15K models do not have automatic GLC as other F-15 variants.)^[13]

• On 2 November 2007, a 27-year-old F-15C (s/n 80-0034 of the 131st Fighter Wing) crashed during air combat maneuvering training near St. Louis, Missouri. The pilot, Maj. Stephen W. Stilwell, ejected but suffered serious injuries. The crash was the result of an in-flight breakup due to structural failure. On 3 November 2007, all non-mission critical models of the F-15 were grounded pending the outcome of the crash investigation,^[14] and on the following day, grounded non-mission critical F-15s engaged in combat missions in the Middle East.^[15] By 13 November 2007 over 1,100 were grounded worldwide after Israel, Japan and Saudi Arabia grounded their aircraft as well.^[16] F-15Es were cleared on 15 November 2007 pending aircraft passing inspections.^[17] On 8 January 2008, the USAF cleared 60 percent of the F-15A-D fleet for return to flight.^[18] On 10 January 2008, the accident review board released its report stating the 2 November crash was related to the longeron not meeting drawing specifications.^[19] The Air Force cleared all its grounded F-15A-D fighters for flight on 15 February 2008 pending inspections, reviews and any needed repairs.^[20] In March 2008, Stilwell, the injured pilot, filed a lawsuit against Boeing, the F-15's manufacturer.^[21]

• On 30 July 2008, F-15D serial number 85-0131 of the 65th Aggressor Squadron, 57th Wing at Nellis Air Force Base, departed controlled flight and entered into a spin while executing a planned maneuver during exercise Red Flag 08-3. The aircraft was destroyed after impacting the ground 20 miles northwest of Rachel, Nevada in an uninhabited area on the Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR) belonging to the Bureau of Land Management. Both aircrew ejected. The back seat observer pilot sustained minor injuries and was rescued; the front seat pilot hit the ground before his parachute fully deployed and died upon ground impact. There were no civilian casualties or additional damage.^[22][23]

• On 20 February 2008, two F-15C Eagles of the 58th Fighter Squadron, 33rd Fighter Wing, Eglin AFB, Florida, collided over the Gulf of Mexico approximately 50 miles south of Tyndall AFB, Florida, killing 1st Lt. Ali Jivanjee. Capt. Tucker Hamilton ejected from the other fighter and survived. Both pilots ejected and one was rescued from the Gulf by the fishing boat Niña, owned by Bart Niquet of Lynn Haven, Florida, which was guided to the pilot by an HC-144A Ocean Sentry aircraft. A 1st SOW AC-130H and an MV-22 Osprey were also diverted to the scene to help search as were five Coast Guard aircraft and two vessels. An HH-60J Jayhawk from Coast Guard Aviation Training Center Mobile lifted the pilot from the fishing boat and evacuated him to the Eglin Hospital. The second pilot was rescued from the Gulf by an HH-60J Jayhawk from CGAS Clearwater and also taken to the Eglin Hospital. One pilot subsequently died several hours later from his injuries.^[24] An accident investigation released 25 August 2008 found that the accident was the result of pilot error and not mechanical failure. Both pilots failed to clear their flight paths and anticipate their impending high-aspect, midair impact, according to Brig. Gen. Joseph Reynes, Jr., Air Combat Command's inspector general who led the investigation.^[25] This was the first crash involving an Eglin F-15 since a fatal crash on 30 April 2002.

• On 18 July 2009, a U.S. Air Force F-15E 90-0231 Strike Eagle crashed in central Afghanistan, killing the two crew members, the U.S. military said.^[26]

• On 22 March 2011 F-15E 91-0304 from RAF Lakenheath crashed near Benghazi, Libya in Operation Odyssey Dawn.^[27] Both crewmen ejected safely and were recovered by US forces.

• On 23 May 2011, a Saudi RSAF F-15 crashed during a routine training flight in eastern Saudi Arabia at King Abdulaziz Air Base. The Pilot died in the crash. The causes of the crash are still unknown and under investigation.^[28]

• On 5 July 2011, a F-15 Eagle from the Japan Air Self-Defense Force based in Naha Air Base on Okinawa crashed on a training exercise over the East China Sea.

• On 24 October 2011, a F-15C Eagle from Nellis Air Force Base crashed near Alamo, Nevada. The pilot ejected and was picked up by an Air Force chopper a half hour later. No injuries were reported.

References