The Crash of F-106A 59-0071

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THE 1981 CRASH OF F-106A 59-0071

THE CRASH OF F-106A 59-00071 SYRACUSE, N.Y. Friday, JUNE 5, 1981 AIR FORCE PANEL TO PROBE CRASH OF GRIFFISS PLANE ROME NY - Air Force officials say they will convene a board of officers to learn what caused Thursday's crash of a F-106 fighter-interceptor jet during major East Coast maneuvers. The pilot ejected to safety.

The smoldering wreckage of the $15 million aircraft was located Thursday morning, about nine hours after the 1:30 a.m. crash, in the rugged Tug Hill Plateau 14 miles northwest of here. The plane reportedly smashed into thick woods two miles northwest of where Capt. John Kane, 27, was found hanging from his parachute in a hemlock tree, 40 feet above the ground near the town of Annsville.

The site is 14 miles northwest of GRIFFISS Air Force Base, where Kane is assigned to the 49th Fighter Interceptor Squadron. A flare Kane had fired attracted rescue units, who rescued him at about 4 a.m. Kane, a Sodus native, was taken to the base hospital for treatment and released.

He was described in good condition with a bruise under his right eye. No injuries to area residents were reported.

Air force Sgt. John Pitzeruse said Kane triggered explosive charges under his ejection seat and was hurtled from the aircraft about 4,000 feet above the ground. His parachute backpack opened and dropped him into the arms of the tree. The aircraft reportedly went into a series of rolls and lost power before crashing. An Air Force response team was assisted by state police, county Sheriff's Department personnel and Taberg Fire Department volunteers, Pitzeruse said.

The rescuers trudged through knee deep mud in the swampy, mosquito ridden area. A 15-man Air Force search team located the wreckage in an area known as the 46 Corners, where a number of dirt roads meet in thick woods. Pitzeruse said he did not know whether the plane had been coming in for a landing when it crashed. He said the fighter was taking part in the Amalgam Chief exercise, a two day East Coast event that began Wednesday night.

In Washington, Air Force officials said Amalgam chief is part of a series that runs six times a year, alternating between the East and West coasts. "Many dozens" of aircraft from Maine to Florida were involved in this week's exercise, the Air Force said. Planes are scrambled to intercept simulated "enemy" aircraft that try to breech the nation's radar defense screen.

The exercises are conducted at night, when civilian air traffic is lightest. Overall control of the exercise is assigned to the North American Air Defense Command in Colorado Springs, Colo., with aircraft participating from the Tactical and Strategic Air Commands, the Marines and the Navy. The Air Force said Thursday night's Amalgam Chief flights would go on as scheduled. No other incidents were reported. Pitzeruse said Kane's fighter was on a route approved by the Federal Aviation Administration.

The Delta Dart fighter was one of 20 F-106 aircraft of the 49th fighter Interceptor Squadron. F106 aircraft were put into service in 1959. The last crash of a Griffiss F-106 occurred in 1975 without loss of life. Three other planes went down in 1973 in unrelated accidents, and two of those planes' pilots were killed.

An eyewitness to Thursday's crash described it as "a big red fireball." Kane, a 1976 graduate of the Air Force Academy, was assigned to the squadron in September after serving in Florida.

One searcher, Sgt. Robert Saunders of the Oneida County Sheriff's office, said Kane joked with his rescuers when he was found. "I'm just hanging around," Kane reportedly told them.

TRANSCRIPT OF RECORDED COMMUNICATIONS Â

The following is a portion of the mishap mission taped on 04 June 1981. RAPCON is Griffiss AFB, NY, Radar Approach Control, KH 05 is the mishap aircraft, KH 07 and KH 01 are other aircraft in the pattern.

0526

RAPCON KH 05, turn left heading 330.

KH 05

And 05 will also make a full stop.

RAPCON Roger.

RAPCON KH 05 turn left heading 300.

0528

KH 05

05 left to 300.

RAPCON Base flight check. Base flight check. KH 05 for an ILS. May be a full stop, depends on what his fuel state is when he gets there and that will be the same for 07 who is about 8 miles in trail.

(Transmission to tower) .

0529

RAPCON KH 05 turn left heading 240, descend and maintain 3,000.

KH 05 out of 4 for 3 understand 250 for 05?

RAPCON 240 for 05.

0530

KH 05 Roger.

0530.28 RAPCON KH 05, turn left heading 170 and descend, maintain 2.600 until established on the Localizer course. You are 12 DME northwest, cleared ILS approach.

053037 KH 05 05.

RAPCON KH 07, turn left heading 270.

KH 07 270.07.

RAPCON 01. Will you definitely be a low approach or are you a possibility of a full stop also?

KH 01 01, planning on a full stop right now.

RAPCON Copy.

RAPCON KH 07, continue left turn heading 240.

0531.00 NOTE: Eme for beacon on now.

KH 07 240, 07. (This transmission at same time as locator beacon).

RAPCON 05, I see you in a right hand turn, where are you going?

RAPCON (A transmission was made by RAPCON to KH 07 at this point but was covered

by ELT).

KH 07 His position to me?

RAPCON Alright you're 10-o'clock for 5 miles.

RAPCON Mode C shows (unintelligible) 3100 feet.

KH 07 Understand proceeding to the runway?

RAPCON I just lost him on the scope 12, 13 northwest.

RAPCON I think we have a crash here (Intercom).

KH 07 And emergency locator beacon or something, I thought I heard something in the background.

0531.55 RAPCON Yes, I have a strong ELT and the target to you would be at 12 o'clock now, 240 about 4 miles.

KH 07 Roger.

0532

RAPCON KH 01, make a circle to your right KH 01 01, Say his Mode C.

0532.05 RAPCON No Mode C. I lost his target completely.

KH 07 OK. I'd like to be cleared for the approach, and like to contact company.

RAPCON KH 07, roger. And I've got to protect this area for just a second. Turn right 300.

KH 07 300. Do you have any raw data on your scope?

RAPCON Nothing at all. Disappeared. I had an emergency squawk (garbled) and that's it.

0532.36 KH 07 Standby. I have a contact 3 miles on my nose.

RAPCON OK.

RAPCON 01, continue orbiting right (garbled)..

KH 01 01.

RAPCON Watertown, Griffiss. I think we just had a crash here at Griffiss. Keep you advised. OK, that's 29 miles on a 151 heading off of Utica (intercom).

0533.02 KH 07 I got, I had a contact. It's gone off my scope now, I mile.

NOTE: ELT never heard @l@ain.

RAPCON 07, (was the contact) on the ground or in the air?

KP 07 It appeared to be about co-altitude but I couldn't really tell.

RAPCON OK, I've got nothing here at all myself.

KH 07 Say that vector you want again, 300?

RAPCON Yeah, well. let's see I just show you left of the localizer now and turn left now to 240. I've got to wait just a second here to see if I can pick up any kind of target at all.

KH 01 Approach what was his altitude at the time. Do you know that?

RAPCON 07, say again?

KH 01 01. What was his highest altitude at the time.

RAPCON Nobody's (garbled). Standby a minute.

KH 01 Are you getting a beacon mark.

0534

RAPCON OK, now 07, the altitude I had when the 77 came on was 3,000 feet. He was

turning towards the localizer. Then he diverted (garbled) to the northwest and as the mode C went down to 26, it just disappeared.

KH 07 ok I'm getting an ELT here.

RAPCON OK right. Do you want to make a turn to your left then? (Garbled) RAPCON You just want to hold in the area where I just lost the target. So if you want to come back to. that, it will be a heading of about 120.

KH 07 Roger. I'm getting a strong ELT there.

KH 01 OK. 01 is steady. Over to company?

RAPCON, 01, roger.

KH 07 Bring me back 180 right. Just came over.

RAPCON Ok. RAPCON 07, turn left heading 090.

KH 07 I'd like to descend to 3,000.

RAPCON Ok, descend and maintain 3,000.

KH 07 Request 2,500.

RAPCON KH 07, 1 can give you 2,600 right now sir.

KH 07 get a little bit lower I'm 0535 OK, I'd like to breaking out.

RAPCON 07, say again.

KH 07 I say I'm breaking out here, where am I. Disregard. I think there is a fire over there.

RAPCON Garbled (intercom).

KH 07 Am I on a 180 to where I was?

RAPCON About now, turn right to about 120 that will put you right about where he was.

0535.30 KH 07 Ok. I've got a tally ho out here on something.

RAPCON Ok. That would probably be it. That is about where I lost the airplane.

KH 07 Roger this is definitely a fire. I'd like to go to company freq. right now.