Airforces

Abbreviations: D: Date N/U: Nationality/Units T: Type S: Serials

near the village of Tsalapitsa, 75

miles (120km) southwest of Sofia.

The three crew were uninjured, but

the Cougar was badly damaged,

particularly the main rotors and

engine intakes. It was subsequently

recovered and towed on the back

of a truck for four hours to its home

airfield at Krumovo. Substantial

financial investment is expected

to be necessary to return it to

operational condition. Such funds

are unlikely to be available this year.

D: Aug 21

N/U: Japan Coast Guard/

1st Region

T: Cessna 172S Skyhawk

S: JA395A ‘Amatsubame 5’

During an examination flight for

pilot certification, the aircraft made

a hard landing at Chitose Air Base

and bounced back into the air before

coming down again on runway 18

left. The three personnel on board

were uninjured but the aircraft

sustained substantial damage,

including deformation of the forward

fuselage skin and cracking of the

internal structural frames. The

aircraft was one of five of the

type introduced into JCG service

during the previous fiscal year.

D: Aug 21

N/U: Polish Army Aviation/

1st Aviation Brigade

N: Mi-2

This helicopter made a hard

landing just after 1900hrs and

was damaged beyond repair

during a training flight from the

56th Air Base at Inowrocław-

Latkowo. The two crew members

escaped without injury but were

taken to hospital for examination.

D: Aug 21

N/U: Swedish Air Force/F 17

T: JAS 39C Gripen

The pilot was forced to eject

following a bird strike while the

aircraft was on approach to

Ronneby-Kallinge at 0945hrs after

a routine training flight. The Gripen

crashed into a forest near Möljeryd,

about 5.6 miles (9km) north of the

base, causing a ground fire. The

pilot did not suffer any serious

injury and was picked up by a

Swedish Air Force helicopter and

taken to hospital for evaluation.

D: Aug 22

N/U: Russian Air and Space

Force/320th Independent

Transport Squadron

T: Mi-8AMTSh

While landing at Uprun-Troitsk

airfield, Chelyabinsk region,

at 1140hrs Moscow time, the

helicopter began spinning

uncontrollably, landed heavily

and caught fire. The three crew

exited safely, but the helicopter

was damaged beyond repair.

D: Aug 22

N/U: US Air Force/33rd Fighter

Wing/58th Fighter Squadron

T: F-35A Lightning II

Following an in-flight emergency,

this aircraft returned to Eglin Air

Force Base, Florida, landing at

1250hrs, but during the landing roll

the nose undercarriage collapsed.

The pilot was uninjured and

the aircraft came to rest, nose

down, on the runway. It is not

yet known whether there was any

serious damage to the airframe.

D: Aug 26

N: Islamic Republic of Iran

Air Force

T: F-5F Tiger II

Following a double engine failure,

this aircraft ran off the runway

during an emergency landing at the

4th Tactical Fighter Base Dezful-

Ardestani at around 1330hrs local

time. The pilot, Col Manouchehr

Fattahi, ejected but was killed,

while the co-pilot was injured and

taken to hospital. The aircraft

sustained damage to the radome

and nose undercarriage but is said

to be repairable. It is reported

that it will be rebuilt by Iran Aircraft

Manufacturing Industries and

modified to a Kowsar-I variant.

The loss leaves Iran with just

eight two-seat F-5Fs remaining

operational, along with a little

short of 20 single-seat F-5Es.

D: Aug 28

N/U: Hellenic Air Force/120

Pteriga Ekpetheusis Aeros

T: T-2E Buckeye

S: 160097

During a spin recovery training

exercise on a sortie from Kalamata,

the crew failed to recover the

aircraft before it crashed at

0850hrs local time near the village

of Kollines, Arcadia. Although

both pilots ejected, Sqn Ldr

Nikolas Vassiliou, died and the

other was taken to hospital with

non-life-threatening injuries.

D: Aug 30

N: Ethiopian Air Force

T: DHC-6 Twin Otter 300

S: 808

All 18 on board were killed when

this aircraft was destroyed in a

crash while en route from Dire

Dawa International Airport to

Bishoftu-Harar Meda air base.

The aircraft came down at

1030hrs in the Nannawa area of

Lumme district, near Modjo, 47

miles (75km) southeast of Addis

Ababa. It was carrying 15 defence

personnel and three civilians, of

which three were crew members

and the other 15 passengers.

D: Aug 30

N: Royal Saudi Air Force

T: CH-4B Rainbow

This armed, Chinese-manufactured

UAV was destroyed by a post-

impact fire when it crashed near

the At Tuwal border crossing

between Saudi Arabia and

Yemen. Yemeni Houthi rebels

claimed to have shot it down.

D: Aug 31

N: Pakistan Naval Aviation

T: Sea King HC4

This helicopter crashed into the

Arabian Sea off southern Sindh

and southwestern Balochistan

provinces during a routine

operational flight. One of the

seven on board, Lt Cdr Zeeshan,

was killed but the fate of the other

six is unknown. The helicopter

involved was reported by local

sources as one of the former Royal

Navy ‘Junglies’ delivered last year.

D: Sep 4

N/U: Indian Air Force/32 Wing

T: MiG-27ML UPG Bahadur

This aircraft had a technical

malfunction and crashed at 0902hrs

near Devalia village, in the Banad

area of Jodhpur, Rajasthan state,

just ten minutes after take-off from

Jodhpur Air Force Station. The pilot

ejected safely before the Flogger

came down in an open field and

burst into flames. He was taken

to hospital in an IAF helicopter.

Additional material from:

Igor Bozinovski, Donny Chan,

Scramble/Dutch Aviation

Society and Asagiri Yohko.

A Russian military UAV,

which Ukraine defence forces

claimed to have shot down

on August 16, near Svatovo.

Ukraine Joint Forces

Above: The burnt-out remains of a Royal Saudi Air Force CASC CH-4B Rainbow UAV after Yemeni Houthi rebels

claimed to have shot it down on August 30.

AFM

http://www.airforcesmonthly.com #367 OCTOBER 2018 // 93

90-93 Attrition AFM Oct2018.indd 93 10/09/2018 14:45:36