LOSSES
Compiled by Tom Kaminski- An IAR-99 operated by the
Romanian Air Force crashed on July
- Both crew ejected safely from the
advanced trainer before it came down
near the 95th Air Base in Bacău.
- A Cessna 182T operated by the US
Civil Air Patrol/USAF Auxiliary was
heavily damaged after departing from
the runway while landing at Geneseo
Airport in upstate New York on July
- The pilot and two passengers were
injured in the mishap.
- Both crew aboard a Tornado
IDS, operated by the Royal Saudi
Air Force, ejected safely before
the aircraft crashed on July 12. The
mishap occurred in the Asir region in
south-western Saudi Arabia, while the
aircraft was returning from a mission
near Saada, Yemen. - Both crew aboard an Islamic
Republic of Iran Air Force F-4D,
assigned to the 10th Tactical Fighter
Base, ejected safely before the
Phantom crashed on July 11. The
ghter came down around 12.4 miles
(20km) from Chabahar in south-
eastern Iran. - The pilot of a French Army
SA342M was killed when the
helicopter crashed during a training
mission in the Ivory Coast on July
- A second crew member su ered
serious injuries when the Gazelle went
down around 6.2 miles (10km) east
of Abidjan.
- Four personnel were injured
when a Mi-8MTV, operated by the
Kyrgyzstan Air Defense Force,
crashed near the South Inylchek
glacier in the northern Issyk-Kul region
during a rescue mission on July 9. The
mishap occurred while the crew was
attempting to land on a helipad in the
northern Tien Shan mountain at an
altitude of around 13,123ft (4,000m)
in strong winds. There were four
crew and nine civilians aboard the
rotorcraft. - The pilot of Romanian Air Force
MiG-21MF serial 6707 (c/n 96006707)
was killed when the LanceR C crashed
near Borcea on July 7. The pilot and
aircraft, which had been assigned to
the 861st Fighter Squadron, had been
conducting a yover during an open
day staged by the 86th Air Base at
Borcea. The ghter went down around
6.2 miles (10km) north of the air base. - MiG-29G serial 4103 (c/n
2960526301/3705) operated by
the Polish Air Force’s 41st Tactical
Squadron crashed during a night
training mission near Pasłęka around
11 miles (18km) from the 22nd Tactical
Air Base at Malbork on July 6. The pilot
ejected from the stricken aircraft but
did not survive. - U-17B serial 1454 operated by the
Royal Thai Army crashed near Ban
Huai Sai Khao in the Muang district
of Mae Hong Son province on July 5.
Three of the four personnel aboard
the Cessna Skywagon were killed.
The crash occurred in a wooded area
around 2.5 miles (4km) from the
Myanmar border. - K-8W serial 14323, operated by the
Bangladesh Air Force’s 15 Squadron,
crashed during a night training
mission on July 1. Both pilots were
killed when the Karokorum trainer
went down in the Bukbhora Baor lake
near Matiur Rahman Air Base in the
Jessore district. - SA316B serial 3E-KT (c/n 2099),
operated by the Austrian Army,
was destroyed in a hard landing that
occurred in the Carnic Alps at an
altitude of around 6,566ft (2,000m)
at the Plöcken P ass in Carinthia on
June 29. The pilot and four passengers
escaped with minor injuries but the
Alouette III was destroyed by a post-
crash re.- A Su-30MKI destined for the
Indian Air Force crashed during a
pre-delivery test ight on June 27.
Both test pilots ejected safely before
the aircraft came down near Nashik
in western Maharashtra state. The
license-built ghter was produced
by India’s state-owned Hindustan
Aeronautics Ltd. - An FT-7PG operated by the
Pakistan Air Force crashed while
landing at Bacha Khan Airport/
Peshawar Air Base, Peshawar on June
- Both pilots were killed.
- An AH-64 operated by the Israeli
Air Force was damaged in a crash
landing that followed a mechanical
malfunction on June 24. The mishap
occurred in the Rosh Ha’ayin region.
F-35B STRICKEN
THE US MARINE Corps has
removed the rst F-35B from
its operational inventory. The
Lightning II su ered a re
in its weapons bay during a
training ight that resulted in an
emergency landing on October 27,- The aircraft, BuNo 168057,
was the rst to be delivered to the
service and had been assigned to
Marine Fighter Attack Squadron
(VMFAT) 501 at Marine Corps Air
Station Beaufort, South Carolina.
The decision to write o the F-35B
was made in in May after a cost-
bene t analysis determined that
repairing it was not economical.
The service has not determined
what will become of the airframe,
which could be used as a
maintenance trainer or become a
museum exhibit. Tom KaminskiUSMC F-35B BuNo 168057 over Florida during its delivery fl ight to
VMFAT-501 at Eglin AFB, Florida. USAF/SSgt Joely SantiagoUSAF ENDS LIGHT ATTACK EXPERIMENT FOLLOWING CRASH
A US NAVY pilot was killed in the
crash of EMB-314B (A-29B) PT-ZNV
(c/n 31400221) that occurred on the
White Sands Missile Range’s Red
Rio Bombing Range, in New Mexico
on June 22. A second pilot ejected
safely. The Super Tucano, which was
owned by Sierra Nevada/Embraer,
was supporting the second phase
of the US Air Force’s Light Attack
Experiment (OA-X), which began
on May 17. The 196,000-acre Red
Rio Bombing Range is located
around 56nm (105km) north of
Holloman AFB.
Although the USAF initially
suspended the experiment
following the crash, on July 3 the
service announced the decision to
cancel the remaining ying portion
of the exercise. The air force will,
however, continue working with
industry to complete the remaining
test requirements. According to
Lt Gen Arnold Bunch, the USAF’s
senior acquisition o cer, further
testing will be conducted using a
‘surrogate aircraft’.
One A-29B and two Beechcraft
AT-6s began ying around three
missions daily from Holloman
AFB on May 17 in support of theexperiment, which is managed
by Air Force Materiel Command’s
strategic development planning
and experimentation o ce. The
service is still moving forward
with plans to release a request for
proposals associated with the light
attack project in December in the
event that the decision is made to
establish a program of record. The
US Marine Corps is also considering
the acquisition of a light attack
aircraft that would primarily support
training and exercises. The aircraft
would assist training for forward air
controllers (FACs) and joint terminal
attack controllers (JTACs) and would
augment ‘Blue Air’ friendly forces
during training events such as the
Weapons and Tactics Instructor
(WTI) course.
Personnel involved in the
experiment included a mix of
aircrew with combat experience,
developmental and operational
test personnel and experienced
instructor pilots from the combat air
force. In addition to USAF, US Navy,
and US Marine Corps aircrew, the
participants included Air National
Guard and Air Force Reserve
Command personnel. Tom KaminskiA-29 PT-ZNV fl ies over the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico
in August last year while participating in the fi rst phase of OA-X trials.
USAF/Ethan D. Wagner[NEWS] WORLD
22 September 2018 //^ http://www.combataircraft.net
18-22 World News C.indd 22 20/07/2018 11:37