ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 46712
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| Date: | Monday 5 December 1988 |
| Time: | 18:45 LT |
| Type: |  General Dynamics F-16C Fighting Falcon |
| Owner/operator: | 612th TFSqn /401st TFWg USAF |
| Registration: | 86-0316 |
| MSN: | 5C-422 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Chiloeches, province of Guadalajara, Castile-La Mancha, N of Madrid -
 Spain
|
| Phase: | Approach |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | Torrejon AB, Spain (TOJ/LETO) |
| Torrejon AB, Spain (TOJ/LETO) | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
Written off 5 December 1988: Crashed near Chiloeches, province of Guadalajara, Castile-La Mancha, Spain which is 18 miles north-east of Torrejon AB, at approximate co-ordinates 40°35′27″N, 3°9′41″W, during an ILS final approach to the airfield.
The pilot, Major-General Winfield Scott Harpe, died in the crash. He was the commander of the USAF operations in the Mediterranean. An Air Force spokesman said the general was participating in a training mission, flying in formation with three other planes and was near the end of a 90-minute training flight when he crashed. The exact circumstances have never been totally revealed since the investigation showed no technical failure. Most probably Gen. Harpe got disoriented during the night approach to Torrejon AB.
According to contemporary press reports:
"Major-General Winfield Scott Harpe, commander of the United States 16th Air Force, based in Spain, was killed yesterday while piloting a fighter bomber that crashed during a routine training mission, air force officials said.
The General was flying an F-16 that went down at about 6:45 P.M., Madrid time, near the town of Chiloeches in Guadalajara province, 18 miles north-east of Torrejon Air Base, headquarters of the 16th Air Force, according to Sgt. Kenneth Fidler, an Air Force spokesman reached by telephone at the base.
Sergeant Fidler said the body of the 53-year-old general was found near the crash site. The plane belonged to the 401st Tactical Fighter Wing based at Torrejon. The cause of the crash was not immediately known. There were no reports of any other deaths or injuries.
Just last week the United States and Spain signed an agreement in Madrid that called for the 401st Tactical Wing to leave Torrejon by 1990 and move to an airbase in Crotone, Italy.
General Harpe, who was born Jan. 12, 1937, in Thomaston, Georgia., was named commander of the 16th Air Force in July 1987."
Sources:
1. Flight International 14 Jan 1989
2. http://pbadupws.nrc.gov/docs/ML0301/ML030170406.pdf
3. http://web.archive.org/web/20170306224555/http://www.ejection-history.org.uk:80/Aircraft_by_Type/F-16/USAF/f_16_USAF_80s.htm
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiloeches
5. http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1986.html
6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windfield_S._Harpe
7. http://archive.is/20121212013358/http://www.af.mil/information/bios/bio.asp?bioID=5715
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 04-Nov-2008 10:35 | ASN archive | Added |
| 20-Dec-2008 10:24 | harro | Updated |
| 04-Nov-2013 00:15 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Cn, Operator, Location, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 17-Feb-2021 17:33 | Nepa | Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Operator] |
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