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| Date: | Tuesday 20 October 1987 |
| Time: | |
| Type: |  Vought A-7D Corsair II |
| Owner/operator: | USAF - 4451st Test Squadron |
| Registration: | 69-6207 |
| MSN: | D-37 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Other fatalities: | 10 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Indianapolis, IN -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Approach |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | |
A Corsair II, serial 69-6207, was en route to Nevada via Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, after departing Pittsburgh International Airport earlier in the day. At 9:11 a.m., the pilot notified controllers at Indianapolis International Airport that his aircraft had sustained some sort of engine failure approximately 15 miles (24 km) southwest of the city at ~31,000 feet and he was returning to Indianapolis to attempt an emergency landing. Controllers at Indianapolis routed the jet to runway 5L, but due to the low cloud ceiling and poor visibility conditions over Indianapolis, the Corsairwas at 3,100 feet MSL when he came to the threshold and was forced to make an alternate plan to land on runway 32 instead.
He made a right turn to head east away from the airport, but continued to drop from 3,100 feet to 2,000 feet just to the east of Interstate 465 at the eastern edge of the airport where controllers lost him from the radar. As his altitude dropped, he was forced to eject from the aircraft 500 feet (150 m) above ground, and the plane made a slight left turn towards the Park Fletcher business development. It struck the Bank One branch in the 5600 block of Bradbury Avenue, bounced off the roof, flew across the street and hit an embankment, went 25 feet (7.6 m) airborne, and then crashed into the front of the Ramada Inn. The pilot landed in the parking lot of the Ace Supply Company, four blocks from the hotel.
As the plane crashed into the Ramada Inn, the cockpit and engine went into the lobby, killing nine people. The wings went into the upper floors of the top of the carport and upper floors of the hotel. The jet fuel on board ignited on impact, causing a fireball that covered the entire front of the hotel up to the fourth floor.
Sources:
AD 21-10-1987
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1987_Ramada_Inn_Corsair_crash
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1987_Indianapolis_Ramada_Inn_A-7D_Corsair_II_crash
USAF Individual Aircraft Record Cards
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 10-Feb-2012 01:28 | harro | Updated [Total fatalities, Total occupants, Location, Country, Phase, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 07-Aug-2021 20:00 | Anon. | Updated [Other fatalities, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 23-Oct-2025 18:48 | phlamberts | Updated [Cn, Operator, Source, ] |
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