Skyhawk Mishaps & Combat Damage
BUT - sometimes: 1950s: 1958: VA-83 LTJG Tom Anderson in the water. 1958: VA-83 Rampagers Skyhawk being retrived. 1958: VA-83 LTJG Swenson picked up a few bullet holes. 24 SEP 1965: VA-23 LTJG Michael Weakley battle damage. NOV 1959: VA-43 Skyhawk with collapsed nose gear. BuNo.142953 with collapsed nose gear. VA-195 Skyhawk BuNo.144904 approaches for a barrier trap. VA-195 Skyhawk BuNo.144904 approaches the rounddown and the barrier. VA-195 Skyhawk BuNo.144904 into the barrier. VA-195 Skyhawk BuNo.144904 is safely aboard in a tangle of barricade web. 1960s: DEC 1966: left rear view of damaged Black Knights Skyhawk parked on the Coral Sea flight deck. AUG 1962: Saints Skyhawk BuNo 14997x, NP-302, following a landing into the barricade aboard the Hanna. 1966: VA-112 ENS John A. Lockhard into the barrier. 1964: VA-113 Stingers Skyhawk "on the edge". 1966: VA-192 LTJG R. I. Millson and LTJG Michael Allum in a big hole. 17 JUL 65: Battle damaged A-4C of VA-153. 2nd shot from top of wing of battle damaged A-4C of VA-153. 1967: VA-56 LTJG Gerald Hausmann inspects 37mm damage. Damaged Scooter. 1965-66: Dambusters Skyhawk BuNo149509, NM-502, on approach, with gear up and the Barricade up. Dambusters Skyhawk BuNo149509, NM-502, snagging the barricade. BuNo149509 in a tangle of arresting webbing. This Dambuster is on deck and home again. JAN 1963: Stingers Skyhawk BuNo 148444, NH-308, with collapsed nose gear following an arrested landing aboard the Kitty Hawk. 25 April 1967 BuNo151102 receives fatal combat damage. LTJG A.R. Crebo is recoverd. (Photo 1 of 4) (Photo 2 of 4) (Photo 3 of 4) (Photo 4 of 4) Photos by Ray Powell 20 OCT 1967: LTJG Denny Earl, with both legs shattered by North Vietnamese anti-aircraft fire, successfully lands his Saints Skyhawk, AH-300, aboard the Oriskany. VX-5 A-4B off the runway. 1965: BuNo 150002 "Blue Hawk" Broken Tail Feather resulting from some night formation flying. OCT 1966: VA-163 Saints Skyhawks in the aftermath of the 1966 fire. U.S. Navy via Tom Bispo. Scorched VA-163 Saints Skyhawk AH-306 at O&R in the aftermath of the 1966 Oriskany fire. Scorched cockpit of VA-163 Saints Skyhawk AH-306 at O&R in the aftermath of the 1966 Oriskany fire. DEC 1966: Tomcats Skyhawk BuNo 150046, WL-4, awaits repairs from 37mm AAA damage. 1967: USS America gets a new "Bow Ornament". 29 JUL 1967: Burned out hulk of Gladiators Skyhawk BuNo 152024, AA-310, on-board the USS Forrestal, CV-59. BuNo.151086 ejection. 1968: BuNo.144997 "Crash and Burn" results. 1969: VMA-311 A-4E Battle damage. Major Robert H. Melville Sr. was flying a duty test hop in a Tomcat A-4E Scooter. See VMA-311 Photo Page for more pictures of the battle damage. In 1969: Major Robert H. Melville Sr. was flying a duty test hop in a Tomcat A-4E Scooter. Experiencing cockpit pressurization difficulties Bob descended to a low altitude on his way back to Chu Lai. Major Melville felt he was flying over an area that was free of Slope heavy weapons. Alas, he managed to find a Soviet 23 mm anti-aircraft site while trolling through the weeds. Bob was unscathed even though the hits were in close proximity to the cockpit. Top view of Major Melville's stitched A-4E, looking aft from the cockpit toward the tail. Top close up view of Major Melville's wounded A-4E, looking forward toward the cockpit. Notice the fuel tank filler cap and the close proximity of the fuel tank to the shell holes under the missing cockpit fairing. The inspection cover is blown away displaying some of the twisted rubble. Notice the shell holes stitching the top of the port air intake area. The next day aerial recon found a well concealed 23 mm AA unit in a nearby area. Immediately thereafter, Bob and three other Marine Tomcat Skyhawks launched with napalm and attacked the AAA site. A later check of the AAA site displayed no signs of activity and the mission was judged "well done." 1970s: 02 JUL 1970: VA-152 Mavericks LtJG William Belden ejects. 01 SEP 1971: RAMP STRIKE! Royal Australian Navy Skyhawk BuNo 154906, #887, makes it "feet dry", but crumpled. #887, landing gear crunched. RAN 1972: Skyhawk BuNo 142113, UH-46, resting on the drop tanks after a wheels-up landing. Unknown photographe via W. Mutza 1973: VA-203, remains of VA-203 Blue Dolphins Skyhawk BuNo 148578. 28 FEB 1972: Remains of Challengers Skyhawk BuNo 154301 scattered across the airfield after the controls froze on take off. Overhead shot. 22 MAY 1978: head-on view of Royal Australian Navy Skyhawk BuNo 154908, #887,on a pair of crunched drop tanks following a wheels-up landing, after losing a wheel during a touch and go on HMAS Melbourne. RAN 22 MAY 1978: right side view of Royal Australian Navy Skyhawk BuNo 154908, #887, on a pair of crunched drop tanks following a wheels-up landing, after losing a wheel during a touch and go on HMAS Melbourne. RAN 23 MAY 1979: Royal Australian Navy Skyhawk BuNo 154909 #888, and pilot USN LCDR K.P. Finan (arrow) in the drink after he ejected following an arresting wire failure while trapping aboard the Melbourne. #888, lost overboard when pilot USN LCDR K.P. Finan ejected following an arresting wire failure while trapping aboard the Melbourne. 370kb wmv file of mishap. 1980s: 09 OCT 1980: VMA-124 Whistling Death Skyhawk BuNo 151050 hurting on both ends. 1981: Right side view of Black Sheep Skyhawk BuNo 159481, WE-6, after it pancaked in near MCAS Yuma. 07 DEC 1981: BuNo 149646 #1 is used for fire drill. All banged up but still serving a purpose. BuNo 149646 #2 BuNo 149646 #3 BuNo 149646 #4 BuNo 149646 #5 BuNo 149646 #6 BuNo 149646 #7 A-4M Skyhawk BuNo. 159481 - 1981 The pilot successfully punched out (of course), the plane skidded on the desert floor and came to a stop near Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona. The Skyhawk was in the landing pattern for Yuma when it experienced a failure of the Pb4 (burner pressure) sensing line at the connection to the fuel control moisture trap. This failure caused the engine to immediately go to idle. If the pilot had more altitude he would have had time to switch to "manual" fuel control and recover, but he only had time to jam the throttle to the military stop, decide he was it trouble, and punch. The Skyhawk basically pancaked in, at the position shown in the picture. The fuselage was cut apart during the mishap investigation in order to remove the engine in an "as-is" condition for the E.I. at NARF Jax. With minor repair and replacement of the broken line we heard the engine ran 4-0 (perfectly). The pilot is reported to have been Captain Joe "Famous" Krejmas. Photograph from Bill Cline; text by John W. Street, MgySgt, USMC-Ret. A-4M Skyhawk BuNo. 160041 Bites the Dust - 1982-3 If there's an A-4 on static display at 29 Palms, it's probably from VMA-214's mishap occurring in late 1982 or early '83 at the "Stumps" expeditionary airfield. The pilot in BuNo. 150041 side number WE-7 landed short of the runway during a night approach to landing due to weathered lenses on the runway approach lights (Ball). To the pilot it looked just like a centered "ball" all the way to touchdown --- a quarter mile short of the runway threshhold. The landing ripped the main landing gear from the Skyhawk and the aircraft skidded overland to the runway and then down the runway until the nose gear caught the arresting gear cable and swung 180 degrees to a stop. Pilot walked away with a lot of help from the CFR guys. The engine and as many useable parts as possible were salvaged. The hulk was left for crash crew to play with; but maybe later someone tried to fix it up. Photographs and text by John W. Street, MgySgt, USMC-Ret. 1983: Bobcats Skyhawk BuNo 156935, C-417, on board with a collapsed nose gear after an in flight engagement when the pilot waved off & the tailhook caught the arresting wire slamming the Skyhawk to the flight deck. BuNo 156935 from port side. 1986: BuNo.158453 prepares to land with a jammed nose wheel. 1990s 13 May 1996 Eagles Skyhawk BuNo 158513, A-737, went off of a rain slick runway at El Centro. Left front view after Eagles Skyhawk BuNo 158513. Someone had a bad day with the "Tanker".  a4skyhawk.org Home Page |
