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| Date: | Wednesday 7 May 1980 |
| Time: | |
| Type: |  Fairchild-Republic A-10A Thunderbolt II |
| Owner/operator: | 103rd TFG, 118th TFS, Connecticut ANG, USAF |
| Registration: | 78-0610 |
| MSN: | A10-0230 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Fort Polk, approximately 10 miles E of Leesville, Louisiana, -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | Bradley Airport CT, (BDL/KBDL) |
On 05/07/1980, Capt Donald Malatesta was on a target run in Fort Polk, Louisiana, when the hydraulics of A-10A 78-0610 froze, and the aircraft dived into the ground with fatal results. (Fort Polk is a United States Army installation located in Vernon Parish, approximately ten miles east of Leesville, and thirty miles north of DeRidder in Beauregard Parish, Louisiana)
At the time of the crash, the pilot was with the 103rd TFG,118th TFS, Connecticut Air National Guard operating from Bradley Airport
Sources:
1. http://www.scramble.nl (Scramble 256)
2. http://peacetime-casualties.findthedata.org/l/1823/Donald-C-Malatesta-Jr
3. http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1978.html
4. http://www.usofficerdocuments.com/armyair/reg_resm.html
5. http://web.archive.org/web/20171019033444/http://www.ejection-history.org.uk/Aircraft_by_Type/A-10_Thunderbolt_II.htm
6. picture of 78-0610 in October 1979: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gerrit_kok_collection/6833896740/
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 11-Aug-2013 01:52 | EDMALA | Updated [Total fatalities, Narrative, ] |
| 25-Aug-2013 18:55 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Cn, Operator, Other fatalities, Location, Country, Phase, Departure airport, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 08-Aug-2024 05:46 | Debra C. Malatesta | Updated [Narrative, ] |
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