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| Date: | Monday 11 April 1988 |
| Time: | 12:15 |
| Type: |  McDonnell Douglas RF-4C Phantom II |
| Owner/operator: | United States Air Force - USAF |
| Registration: | 67-0431 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Bergstrom AFB, Austin Texas -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Initial climb |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | |
This jet went down off of Hwy 71 & Riverside Drive, just North of Bergstrom AFB (now Bergstrom International Airport). An engine compressor blade came loose and punctured a fuel cell causing a huge fire and I believe the loss of both engines. I was standing in line at the Jet Chef for lunch when I heard the explosion, witnessed the both pilots eject, and was a member of the Crash Recovery team that picked it up and hauled it back to the base. I have a picture of the jet on the flatbed trailer and the Crash Ranger Crew that picked it up.
The plane was performing touch and goes as it was scheduled for maintenance. The crew had just approached the runway and then accelerated when the engine blade dislodged as noted above.
The navigator came down through trees and was injured. I don’t believe he was able to fly again due to his injuries.
The pilot, the Deputy Base Commander at the time, landed in a field near the crash site. He returned to service before retiring in a couple of years later.
I too witnessed the crash as I was on Ben White (71) a mile away at the time. I arrived at the scene as the rescue teams were bringing the pilot, my father, out of the field.
Sources:
Michael Stewardson - 67th EMS - Repair & Reclamation/Crash Recovery
Brad Grimsley - witness and son of pilot.
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 10-Jan-2009 11:55 | ASN archive | Added |
| 26-Jun-2014 20:40 | Uli Elch | Updated [Operator, Location, Phase, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 02-Feb-2016 21:01 | Stew | Updated [Time, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Country, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 22-Oct-2025 06:20 | Bevo | Updated [Phase, Source, Narrative, ] |
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