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Date: | Friday 17 August 1984 |
Time: | |
Type: | McDonnell Douglas F-15B Eagle |
Owner/operator: | 43rd TFS, 21st TFW, USAF |
Registration: | 74-0139 |
MSN: | 0066/B012 |
Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
Location: | 70 miles west of Talkeetna, Alaska -
United States of America
|
Phase: | En route |
Nature: | Military |
Departure airport: | Elmendorf AFB, Alaska |
Destination airport: | |
Confidence Rating: | Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
Narrative:17 August 1984: F-15B, 74-0139, of the 43rd TFS, 21st TFW, USAF, crashed into a mountain in low visibility 70 miles west of Talkeetna Alaska, 90 miles northwest of Elmendorf AFB, Alaska. Crew - Captain Benjamin "Ben" A. Cotharin and Staff Sgt. Russell C. Johnson - were both killed. According to an eyewitness report:
"I am a SMSgt in the USAF I am a 2W191 weapons loader and have some information about one F-15 crash in Alaska for you.
Aircraft 74-0139 was assigned to the 21st TFW, 43rd TFS and crashed 70 miles west of Talkeetna Alaska on 17 Aug 1984. This was a F-15 B (two-seater). I know this as I was stationed in Alaska at Elmendorf from May 1983 - May 1993.
I cannot remember the pilot’s name, but I distinctly remember this crash as the backseater was Russel C. Johnson, a weapons loader, that had earned an incentive ride for winning a load competition and that is why he was in the back seat. I never saw the official report, other maintainers told me they were performing a loop and were too low/slow and hit the side of a mountain nose in. That is an unconfirmed rumor! The fact is, the plane crashed with an incentive rider and was a tragic loss at the time for Elmendorf and the flight line maintainers."
Sources:
1. Associated Press (21 August 1984). "Jet crewmen die in crash". Daily Sitka Sentinel (Sitka, Alaska). The F-15 was reported missing Friday (August 17)
2.
http://www.scramble.nl [Scramble]
3.
http://web.archive.org/web/20171029221354/http://www.ejection-history.org.uk:80/aircraft_by_type/f-15.htm 4. [LINK NOT WORKING ANYMORE:http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1974.htm]l
Revision history:
Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
25-Dec-2014 00:24 |
Dr. John Smith |
Updated [Cn, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Country, Phase, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
18-Aug-2022 06:08 |
Anon. |
Updated [[Cn, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Country, Phase, Departure airport, Source, Narrative]] |