- The US Department of Defense
announced the loss of an MQ-1 Predator
near the city of Latakia in north-west Syria
on March 17. Syria’s offi cial news agency
claimed the remotely-piloted vehicle had
been shot down, but this was not confi rmed
by US offi cials. - On March 17 a Royal Netherlands
Air Force AH-64D crashed in Mali.
The attack helicopter was involved in
the UN’s MINUSMA peacekeeping and
stabilization effort. The Apache was one
of two conducting a fi ring exercise against
ground targets, some 50km (31 miles) north
of Camp Castor, where a Dutch contingent
of four Apaches and three Chinooks
is stationed. The other Dutch Apache
landed to provide fi rst aid, while French
helicopters provided cover and transport.
One pilot was killed at the scene while the
second was taken to hospital in critical
condition, but succumbed to his injuries.
The crash was offi cially attributed to
technical reasons. The helicopter belonged
to 301 Squadron of the Dutch Helicopter
Command, based at Gilze-Rijen. - A Serbian Air Force Mi-17 helicopter
crashed near Belgrade while carrying out
an emergency medical evacuation mission
on March 13. Four crew, two medical
personnel and a baby died in the crash,
which apparently occurred in thick fog
near Nikola Tesla International Airport
around 18 miles (29km) west of Belgrade. - AS535MB serial B511 (c/n 6673)
operated by the Korea Coast Guard
crashed into the Yellow Sea while
attempting to land near a seawall on
Gageodo Island in South Jeolla province
on March 13. Four crew were killed in the
crash, which occurred in thick fog during a
medical evacuation mission. - A Hawk Mk67, operated by civilian
contractor Air USA, veered off the runway
during take-off at MCAS Yuma, Arizona,
and struck a government vehicle on March
- A US Marine driving the vehicle was
killed but two pilots aboard the Hawk,
which carried the registration N506XX,
were not seriously injured. The trainer,
which had previously been operated
by the Republic of Korea Air Force as
serial 67-506, was destroyed by fi re.
Headquartered in Quincy, Illinois, the
contractor owns 12 ex-RoKAF Hawks.
- Seven Marines and four crew aboard a US
Army UH-60M operated by the Louisiana
Army National Guard’s 1st Battalion,
244th Aviation Regiment, were killed
when the helicopter crashed in the Florida
Panhandle near Eglin AFB on March 10.
The Black Hawk had been conducting a
night training mission over Santa Rosa
Sound near Valparaiso, Florida, and was
reported missing near Eglin range site A-17,
east of the Navarre Bridge. - An Indian Air Force Jaguar IS strike
aircraft crashed in Haryana’s Kurukshetra
district around 12 miles (20km) south of
Air Force Station Ambala due to a technical
malfunction on March 5. The pilot ejected
safely. - Two pilots aboard a Turkish Air Force
F-4E-2020 were killed when the aircraft
crashed near Konya in the Anatolia region
on March 5. The Phantom and crew, which
were assigned to 112 Filo, had departed
from Eskisehir air base around one hour
before the crash occurred.- A two-seat Mirage fi ghter operated by
the Pakistan Air Force crashed in adverse
weather during a routine training fl ight on
March 4. Both pilots were killed when the
fi ghter went down near Dera Ismail Khan
in north-west Pakistan, around 175 miles
(280km) from Islamabad. - A Chengdu F-7 fi ghter operated by the
Tanzanian Air Force crashed shortly after
take-off from Mwanza Airport on February
- The aircraft reportedly caught fi re
following a bird strike. Although suffering
burns, the pilot was able to escape.
- An AB212A helicopter, operated by the
Islamic Republic of Iran Army Aviation,
crashed near Imamzadeh Ebrahim under
unknown circumstances on February
- All three personnel died when the
helicopter came down in Darband region
near Tehran.
- A pair of Turkish Air Force RF-4Es
crashed in the Akçadag district of Malatya
province on February 25 following an
apparent mid-air collision that killed all
four crew. The Phantoms were conducting
a reconnaissance mission in eastern Turkey
when the mishap occurred. The accident
happened shortly after the aircraft took off
from Erhaç air base in eastern Turkey and
involved aircraft and crews assigned to 173
Filo. - A pilot and weapon systems offi cer
assigned to Marine All-Weather Fighter
Attack Squadron 224 (VMFA(AW)-224) at
MCAS Beaufort, South Carolina, ejected
safely before US Marine Corps F/A-18D
BuNo 164729 crashed around 30 miles
(48km) east of Valdosta, Georgia, on
February 22. The Hornet came down in
a wooded area around 4.5 miles (7.2km)
east of Statenville. The crew had been
conducting operations in the Moody
Military Operating Area (MOA).- The pilot of a Royal Thai Air Force
F-16A was killed when the fi ghter crashed
during a training mission in the central
Lopburi province on February 19. The
Fighting Falcon, which had been assigned
to 103 Squadron, went down in the Khok
Samrong district. - The crew of a Japan Ground Self-Defense
Force OH-1 was forced to ditch their
aircraft around 328ft (100m) offshore in
the Kii Channel, south of Nanki-Shirahama
Airport, in the Wakayama Prefecture due
to engine trouble on February 17. Although
both pilots escaped safely and swam to
shore, the helicopter sank. At the time of
the accident, the crew was conducting
training at Nanki-Shirahama airport.
Both the aircraft and crew are assigned to
the Middle Army Aviation Group at Yao
Airport in Osaka. - A UH-60 operated by the Royal Saudi
Land Force crashed during a night exercise
in eastern Hafar al-Batin province on
January 17. Four crew were killed when
the Black Hawk went down in a training
zone west of the King Khalid military base
around 60 miles (100km) south of the Iraqi
border.
Two KT-1B trainers operated by the Indonesian
Air Force’s Jupiter Aerobatic Team crashed
following a mid-air collision at Langkawi
International Airport in Kedah, Malaysia, on
March 15. The mishap occurred while the
team was preparing for a display at the 2015Langkawi International Maritime and
Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA ’15). Four crew
ejected safely from the aircraft. One of the
Woongbi trainers crashed within the airport
perimeter, and the second came down in a
nearby residential area.JUPITER COLLISION IN MALAYSIA
Pilots eject from a burning KT-1B Woongbi trainer moments after two aircraft from the Jupiter
Aerobatic Team collided at Langkawi International Airport. The six-ship team was conducting a
rehearsal prior to performing at the LIMA show. Oliver Santa26 May 2015 http://www.combataircraft.netNEWS Losses
Compiled by Tom Kaminski26 Losses C.indd 26 20/03/2015 11:19