Aircraft carriers bring U.S. military airpower all over the world, providing a mobile base of operations wherever needed. But accidents happen, even on board.
There are plenty of dangerous jobs in the United States military, and that’s kind of the point. Those who serve in uniform put their lives on the line all the time, but few are as at risk as the people working on the flight deck of an active aircraft carrier. It’s not hyperbole to say that the flight deck of an aircraft carrier is the «Danger Zone.» It’s all got to do with the launch and recovery of aircraft.
Jets flying off or landing on a carrier carry flammable fuel, bombs, bullets, and other things that can go «BOOM!» The people directing flight and recovery operations are endangered whenever something doesn’t go right, and it happens more often than you might think. Whether a pilot doesn’t land properly, the catapult launching them malfunctions, or any of a thousand other problems arise, it can be catastrophic for everyone involved.
There have been thousands of near misses and accidents on aircraft carrier flight decks over the years, going back more than a century. Instead of focusing on the worst launch and recovery failures from that time, this article focuses on the most dangerous accidents from the past few decades, beginning in the 1990s. Each instance was an accident, and they all resulted in significant damage, while some involved the deaths of some unfortunate few.A T-2C Buckeye crashed after launch from the USS Forrestal
The T-2 Buckeye was a training aircraft used by the United States Navy and Marine Corps from 1958 until 2008, so it has some history. The twin-engine jet’s tandem seating allowed for an instructor to fly with a trainee, and it was well suited for that purpose. The T-2C was the last variant made for the Navy, and it had an impressive safety record, seeing as it was used for training for half a century.
While several accidents befell the aircraft, one of the worst occurred on April 15, 1992. During a training mission, a T-2C took off from the USS Forrestal (AVT-59), crashing about 70 miles off the coast of Pensacola, Florida. The jet was being used for carrier qualifications when it plunged into the sea just after takeoff. The cause of the crash was never determined. Both the pilot and instructor ejected from the aircraft, initiating an immediate search to recover the two naval aviators.
The aircraft’s instructor, Lt. Tim Fisher, who was assigned to Meridian Naval Air Station’s Training Squadron 19, was rescued. He returned to the USS Forrestal uninjured and resumed his duties. The second aviator, whose name wasn’t released, remained missing and was never recovered. The accident was the first to occur on the USS Forrestal since it was redesignated a training carrier earlier that year after finishing wartime duties during Operation Provide Comfort.An F-14A Tomcat crashed approaching the USS Abraham Lincoln
The F-14 Tomcat was a twin-engine, two-seat fighter developed towards the end of the Vietnam War.
