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| Date: | Tuesday 19 March 1974 |
| Time: | |
| Type: |  Canadair CF-104 Starfighter |
| Owner/operator: | Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) |
| Registration: | 104895 |
| MSN: | 683A-1195 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Cold Lake Air Weapons Range (CLAWR) -
 Canada
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | CFB Cold Lake, Alberta |
| CFB Cold Lake, Alberta |
The Aerospace Engineering Test Establishment (AETE) CF-104 was on a test mission over the Primrose Lake Range near CFB Cold Lake, Alberta. The test pilot, Maj. D.M. Johnson, was testing the M-61 cannon that had just been installed into 104895. He was to make multiple firing passes to assess the function and accuracy of the gun on ground targets. The pilot was on his third run into target and after firing the cannon he heard an explosion. He zoomed the aircraft to gain altitude and realized he had a compressor stall. Several relight attempts failed and as the aircraft lost speed and altitude, he was forced to eject. The chase plane directed the base rescue helicopter to the downed pilot and he was returned safely to base within a half hour of ejecting.
The investigation found that the M-61 stator control that controls the timing of the gun was out of sync. On his third pass the out of sync mechanism caused an explosion that propelled metal fragments and shell casings into the intake causing the compressor stall.
Sources:
http://www.skahs.com/NovPlaneTalk.pdf
http://www.rwrwalker.ca/CF_104833_104900_detailed.html
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 25-May-2016 06:09 | yukonjack | Added |
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