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| Date: | Monday 27 April 1970 |
| Time: | |
| Type: |  McDonnell Douglas F-4E Phantom II |
| Owner/operator: | United States Air Force - USAF |
| Registration: | 69-0256 |
| MSN: | 3784 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Atlantic Ocean -
 Atlantic Ocean
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | Robins AFB, GA |
| Torrejon Air Base, Spain |
Aircraft crashed into the Atlantic Ocean, 150 miles east of Charleston, South Carolina. Both crew safely ejected.
Was part of the “F-4 High Flight Program”. New F-4s delivered from McDonnell Douglas plant in St Louis to Robins AFB. This was the first aircraft lost in the program.
This was a 2-ship ferry flight from Robins AFB, Georgia to 401st TFW at Torrejon Air Base, Spain. A severe thunderstorm disabled the plane. The crew made a high-altitude ejection at 18,000’. Their faces and bodies were bloodied by being pelted with hail.
An escorting HC-130 orbited the downed crew. They were rescued by the Texaco tanker SS Illinois after they spent 2 hours in the water. A Coast Guard helo then picked them up from the tanker.
The second Phantom in this accident flight returned to Robins AFB.
Crew:
Captain Daniel Heitz
Lt. MacArthur “Mac” Weston
This Phantom was Gained from McDonnell Douglas only 6 days prior on 21 April 1970.
Transferred on 24 April 1970 (to Robins AFB). Then crashed on 27 April 1970.
Sources:
http://thephantomshrine.co.uk/Databases/f4-serials.txt
http://forgottenjets.warbirdsresourcegroup.org/
US Air Force Aircraft Record Card
The Macon News Apr 28 1970
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 30-Apr-2021 11:15 | ASN archive | Added |
| 21-Jul-2025 10:23 | ChrisB | Updated [Total fatalities, Total occupants, Location, Country, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, ] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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