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F-14 Tomcat question


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Here she is in April 1982. The other image I have is from October 1981. In the '81 image the first segment of the radome is tan. Of interest are the old style main wheels. This Cat was lost 20 June 1984 when it fell from the #3 Elevator aboard the USS America (CV-66)

F-14A161283VF-102Blk115TARPSDFBAPRI.jpg

F-14A161283VF-102-24April1982DFB.jpg

F-14A161283VF-10224April1982DFB.jpg

F-14A 161283 Blk 115 (TARPS) VF-102 NAS Norfolk 23 April 1982 All Copyright David F. Brown

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This Cat was lost 20 June 1984 when it fell from the #3 Elevator aboard the USS America (CV-66)

F-14A 161283 Blk 115 (TARPS) VF-102 NAS Norfolk 23 April 1982 All Copyright David F. Brown

:bandhead2: Saaaay What!!!!...I'll bet that was some major carpet time, not to mention someone probably being relieved of their duties. What happened brakes not hold or did some old chain restraints break. Did the carrier hit a trough and list too far to a side? Accidents like that don't just happen, like the numbnutz that drove a forklift off a platform onto the wing of an F-100, :pray: or so we were told.

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What - you don't mean to say that there's an error in the instructions of a Superscale sheet..?!?

Well, put me in a dress and call me Susan. ;-)

Cheers,

Andre (with the exact same sheet in the decal dungeon)

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Thank you all for the answers.:worship::thumbsup:

Definitely the radome is all gray FS-16440.

Very very Thanks Dave for the photos and Andy for the profile.

Greetings to all

FEDE

PD. This tomcat still sleeps in the depths, unfortunate accident!!! :monkeydance:

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This is what I have in the way of research on this loss. This was cut and pasted directly from the VF-102 Command History as obtained from the US Navy History Center.

"High temperatures, heavy sea states, high winds, poor visibility and humid, slippery flight decks characterized the three months in the area. AB-103 received class "C" damage after sliding across the hangar bay into AB-113 on 9 June. On 20 June, AB-111 was lost over the side during a prelaunch respot. Minor injuries were sustained by the pilot that eventually led to his return to CONUS."

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  • 7 years later...
On 1/12/2010 at 2:06 AM, Jinxter13 said:

:bandhead2: Saaaay What!!!!...I'll bet that was some major carpet time, not to mention someone probably being relieved of their duties. What happened brakes not hold or did some old chain restraints break. Did the carrier hit a trough and list too far to a side? Accidents like that don't just happen, like the numbnutz that drove a forklift off a platform onto the wing of an F-100, :pray: or so we were told.

I was in jet already turning when they decided to respot 111 before the launch. We had been experiencing problems making the 90 degree turn out of that spot behind the island due to extremely slick deck and worn away nonskid. The nose would turn but get no traction. Deck was like a greasy frying pan in that area and we didn't like to even jog near there because it was so slippery. 

 

The pilot had preflighted and and climbed into cockpit when yellowshirt approached and gave hand signal to break her down (remove chains) as a towtractor was hooked up. So the pilot was involuntarily put into role of brake rider. He tried to get attention of yellowshirt flight director to hold so he could pump up brakes but yellowshirt did not see his frantic hand signAls and with jests already turning, shouting did not help. 

 

So the move proceeded with pilot frantically pumping brakes by hand (the wobble pump takes 28 strokes to fully charge cylinder). As the aircraft begin to move, the ship went into a turn to align to prevailing wind for upcoming launch. As the bow begin to turn broadside through the swells in Indian Ocean, a larger swell caused a large list to port and weight of jet on slippery deck caused it to slide forward. The driver noticed and tried braking with no result. Then the list reversed to starboard as the backside of the swell caused a reverse in the slide. I saw white smoke from wheels of tractor as driver mashed accelerator to floor. The jet slide backwards all the way to the deck edge and stopped as main mounts hit the scupper. 

 

Then another swell caught the ship and ship and the jet slid forward yet again before passing of swell caused it to reverse. This time the reverse slide caused msinmounts to continue over the side and jet thudded onto its belly. The nose started to rise and pull the tractor skyward. The pilot hastily tried to exit the cockpit and climb down the ladder but fell as it started to tilt. As the nose continued skyward, the tractor was suspended vertically leaving the deck. The pilot crashed to the deck and was knocked out. Shortly thereafter, the tow bar broke and tractor came crashing down next to pilot's head. Once the tow bar broke, AB 111, arced backwards like a beautiful back flip into the Indian Ocean.  By the time we shut down and exited aircraft, it had disappeared and only thing on surface of ocean was the radomes and RIO's helmet. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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