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| Date: | Tuesday 14 September 1976 |
| Time: | |
| Type: |  Grumman F-14A Tomcat |
| Owner/operator: | VF-32, US Navy |
| Registration: | 159588 |
| MSN: | 135 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | NW of Orkney -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Taxi |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | USS John F Kennedy (CVA-67) |
Grumman F-14A Tomcat BU 159588/'AB-221', US Navy Squadron VF-32 was at the take off position on board the USS John F Kennedy (CVN-67) in the Atlantic north west of Orkney when it went over the deck edge into the sea due to a computer error opening the throttles before it was launched on the catapult . Both crew ejected and landed on the deck of the carrier. The aircraft carried new AIM-54 Phoenix missiles so, To avoid the soviets aquiring it, The German salvage ship Taurus was contracted to salvage the aircraft and missile. It towed it to sheltered waters between Egilsay and Shapinsay in Orkney before finally lifing it to the surface.
Sources:
1. Own recollection and from online source
2. http://www.anft.net/f-14/f14-serial-05.htm
3. http://www.topedge.com/panels/aircraft/sites/mats/f14-history-crash.htm
5. https://inf.news/en/military/91685d290c759c0861ee8655fe759451.html
6. http://www.joebaugher.com/navy_serials/thirdseries20.html
8. http://crashsiteorkney.com/orkney-lost-at-sea.html
9. https://catalog.archives.gov/id/5730858
Location
Media:
#OTD 1976, an F-14 skidded off the deck of USS John F. Kennedy near Scotland. The crew ejected but the jet plunged to a depth of 1850 feet. Fearing that the Soviets would scoop up the Tomcat and its AIM-54 Phoenix missiles, the Navy recovered the plane after an intensive search. pic.twitter.com/xGhgZcvWJY
— U.S. Naval Institute (@NavalInstitute) September 14, 2023
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 19-Nov-2021 10:16 | ADI | Added |
| 19-Nov-2021 10:19 | harro | Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Total fatalities, Other fatalities, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 08-Jun-2022 17:23 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Cn, Operator, Total occupants, Location, Source, Narrative, Category, ] |
| 08-Jun-2022 17:23 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Departure airport, ] |
| 12-Jun-2022 18:04 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative, Category, ] |
| 15-Sep-2023 05:27 | nhofmann54 | Updated |
| 09-Jul-2024 15:37 | Anon. | Updated [Date, Country, Embed code, ] |
| 09-Jul-2024 15:39 | ASN | Updated [Date, Country, ] |
| 11-Jul-2024 05:21 | ashields | Updated [Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 02-Jun-2025 11:32 | TB | Updated [Time, Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative, ] |
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