Date:	Wednesday 14 June 1967
Time:	23:30
Type:	North American RA-5C Vigilante
Owner/operator:	United States Navy
Registration:	149314
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 2
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	NAS Sanford, FL -   United States of America
Phase:	Take off
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	NAS Sanford
Destination airport:	NAS Sanford

Narrative:
Crashed adjacent to the NS runway at NAS Sanford during nighttime field carrier landing practice. Engine failed due to ingestion of a clamp that came loose after a recent overhaul. Ejection at very low altitude as the jet lifted off. Pilot Lt Cmdr Charles T. Butler (38) was killed and Ens. John Barry Smith (23) escaped with minor injuries.

Vigilante had just come out of PAR overhaul and updates (Progressive Aircraft Rework).
During night Field Carrier Landing Practice (FCLP) on Runway 36 the aircraft took off and suffered a right engine failure and fire. The pilot ordered ejection.
RAN (Reconnaissance Attack Navigator) safely ejected but as the aircraft rolled the pilot’s ejection was low and horizontal and he did not survive.
The Vigilante crashed inverted 500 feet off the end of the runway.

RVAH-3 crew:
Lt Commander Charles T. Butler
Ensign John Barry Smith

The pilot was current in the RA-5C but in the process of Re-Carqualing to report back to fleet squadron. On their sixth touch and go on Runway 36 the aircraft had turned about 60 degrees and reached 250-300 feet when a loud “pop” was heard. Sparks were coming from the rear of the aircraft and one engine seemed to be operating in afterburner. Aside from the afterburner exhaust, other fire could be seen coming from the tailpipe. The tower and LSO informed the pilot that they were on fire. One seat ejected as the fire increased. The Vigilante rolled right and the nose dropped. It then crashed 40 degrees nose low, almost inverted, and exploded adjacent to Runway 27 and Beardall Avenue. The pilot ejected following the RAN but impacted the ground.
The RAN stated that after reaching about 300 feet he heard the muffled explosion from the starboard side aft. The pilot had then said, “Oh, darn!”. The RAN quickly asked, “What’s wrong?”. The pilot replied, “Starboard engine, standby – eject!” and the RAN ejected. The RAN said this all took place in about 5 seconds. He never saw a fire warning light.
The RAN had flown the previous flight with another pilot and had remained in the Vigilante during hot refueling while Lt Commander Butler had strapped in.

This Vigilante had accumulated 937 hours since acceptance on 1 June 1964. It had operated 5.3 hours since the second PAR was completed at NARF Jacksonville on 12 June 1967 (two days prior to this accident).

Later analysis determined the left engine was operating normally at afterburner. The starboard engine was at idle RPM at time of impact. A “T” bolt from a Marman clamp was broken into 3 pieces and was found on the compressor rear frame, the combustion section and at the turbine inlet. Molten aluminum deposits were noted on the turbine nozzles and heavily deposited on the first stage turbine blades. Metal particles were imbedded between the strut fairings and liner of the turbine frame on the counterclockwise side, indicating a high velocity air flow at the time of ingestion.
The pilot probably had indication of rapidly rising EGT and had told the RAN to eject. He retarded the starboard throttle and selected AB on the port engine. The Vigilante had marginal single engine capability at low speed in landing configuration. He apparently raised the flaps to 30, never levelled the wings and realized it was not going to fly and ejected.

Cause was ingestion of FOD. The actual source of the FOD could not be determined conclusively but was probably a Marman clamp.
Two wrench sockets, one marked “O & R JAX”, and a 14-inch steel rod used in removing bomb bay fuel cans were also found in the wreckage.

Butler was a graduate of the USNA Class of 1953. He was designated a Naval Aviator on 18 February 1955 and had flown a total of 2,911 hours with 811 in the RA-5C. He had received the Air Medal and Navy Commendation Medal for combat flights in Vietnam with RVAH-5 and also held the United Nations and Korean Theatre Medals having previously served in the US Marine Corps.
He had a previous crash landing in a T-2V at Albuquerque, New Mexico on 4 November 1961.

http://www.forgottenjets.warbirdsresourcegroup.org/A-5.html
St. Petersburg Times 16 June 1967, p3B
The Orlando Sentinel Nov 4 2001
US Navy aircraft accident report
“Vigilante! A Pilot’s Story” by Cdr Robert “Boom” Powell

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
15-Jan-2022 17:42	TB	Updated [Time, Operator, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Phase, Source, Narrative, ]
19-Jul-2022 19:31	Anon.	Updated [Narrative, ]
07-Aug-2024 09:37	ChrisB	Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, ]
07-Aug-2025 12:07	ChrisB	Updated [Source, Narrative, Photo, ]