List of combat losses of United States military aircraft since the Vietnam War

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This is a list of notable fixed-wing military air combat losses since the end of the Vietnam War grouped by the year that the loss occurred. This list is intended for military aircraft lost due to enemy action during combat. For military aircraft lost due to accidental causes, refer to the list of notable incidents and accidents involving military aircraft. For civil aircraft losses, refer to List of accidents and incidents involving commercial aircraft.

1983 (Multinational Force in Lebanon)[edit]

Main article: Multinational Force in Lebanon
  • December 4 – An A-6 Intruder (Bureau Number 152915) and an A-7 Corsair II (Bureau Number 157468) were shot down by Syrian 9K31 Strela-1 or Strela 2 infrared homing missiles while attacking Syrian army SAM batteries in Lebanon in the mountains east of Beirut. The pilot of the A-6, Lieutenant Mark Lange (flying from USS John F. Kennedy), was killed; his Bombardier/Navigator, Lieutenant Bobby Goodman, ejected and was captured by Syrian soldiers. Lt. Goodman was held for 30 days before his release was facilitated by Jesse Jackson. Lt. Lange's body was returned. From the USS Independence (CV-62), the A-7, Commander Edward Andrews managed to guide his failing Corsair over coastal waters before ejecting; he was rescued by a Lebanese fishing boat and safely returned to the U.S. Marines.[1]

1986 (Operation El Dorado Canyon)[edit]

Main article: Operation El Dorado Canyon
  • April 15 – An F-111F Aardvark (Serial Number 70-2389) was shot down by anti-aircraft artillery (AAA) over Libya. The pilot (Major Fernando L. Ribas-Dominicci) and Weapon Systems Officer (Captain Paul F. Lorence) were killed. Major Ribas-Dominicci's body was returned to the US in 1989. Captain Lorence's body was never found. He is still listed as killed in action, body not recovered (KIA-BNR).

1991 (Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm)[edit]

Main article: Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm
  • January 17 – An F/A-18C Hornet (Bureau Number 163484) was shot down by an Iraqi Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25 in an air-to-air engagement. The pilot, Lieutenant Commander Michael Scott Speicher, of VFA-81 was killed but his body was not found until July 2009.
  • January 17 – An A-6E Intruder (Bureau Number 161668) was shot down by a surface-to-air missile over western Iraq. The pilot, Lieutenant Robert Wetzel, and Navigator/Bombardier, Lieutenant Jeffrey Norton Zaun, were captured. They were released on March 3.
  • January 17 – An F-15E Strike Eagle (Serial Number 88-1689) was shot down by anti-aircraft artillery (AAA). The pilot, Major Thomas F. Koritz, and Weapons Systems Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Donnie R. Holland, were killed. Their bodies were recovered.
  • January 18 – An A-6E Intruder (Bureau Number 152928) was shot down by anti-aircraft artillery two miles from the Iraqi shore after dropping mines on a waterway linking the Iraqi naval base of Umm Qasr with the Persian Gulf. The USN package was engaged by ZU-23-2 ground anti-aircraft guns and Iraqi naval vessels. The pilot, Lieutenant William Thomas Costen and Navigator/Bombardier, Lieutenant Charlie Turner, were killed. Their bodies were recovered.
  • January 18 – An OV-10 Bronco (Bureau Number 155435) was shot down by a surface-to-air missile. The pilot, Lieutenant Colonel Clifford M. Acree, and observer, Chief Warrant Officer Guy L. Hunter Jr., were captured. They were released on March 6.
  • January 18 – An F-4G Wild Weasel (Serial Number 69-7571) crashed in the Saudi Arabian desert after attacking Iraqi air defenses. An investigation found that a single enemy 23 mm anti-aircraft artillery (AAA) round had punctured the fuel tank, causing fuel starvation. The pilot, Captain Tim Burke, and Electronic Warfare Officer, Captain Juan Galindez, ejected over friendly territory and were rescued.
  • January 19 – An F-15E Strike Eagle (Serial Number 88-1692) was shot down by a V-750AK (SA-2E) surface-to-air missile. The pilot, Colonel David W. Eberly, and Weapon Systems Officer, Major Thomas E. Griffith, were captured. They were released on March 6 and March 3 respectively.
  • January 19 – An F-16C Fighting Falcon (Serial Number 87-0228) was shot down by a 2K12 Kub (SA-6) surface-to-air missile. The pilot, Captain Harry 'Mike' Roberts, was captured. He was released on March 6.
  • January 19 – An F-16C Fighting Falcon (Serial Number 87-0257) was shot down by an S-125 (SA-3) surface-to-air missile. The pilot, Major Jeffrey Scott Tice, was captured. He was released on March 6.
  • January 21 – An F-14A+ Tomcat (Bureau Number 161430) was shot down by a V-750AK (SA-2E) surface-to-air missile while on an escort mission near Al Asad airbase in Iraq. The pilot, Lieutenant Devon Jones, was rescued by USAF Special Operations Forces but the Radar Intercept Officer, Lieutenant Larry Slade, was captured. He remained a POW until his release on March 3.
  • January 24 – An AV-8B Harrier II (Bureau Number 163518) was shot down by MANPADS. The pilot, Captain Michael C. Berryman, was captured. He was released on March 6.
  • January 31 – An AC-130H Spectre (Serial Number 69-6567) was shot down by a surface-to-air missile during the battle of Khafji. The entire crew of 14 were killed. Their bodies were recovered.
  • February 2 – An A-6E Intruder (Bureau Number 155632) was shot down by anti-aircraft artillery (AAA). The pilot, Lieutenant Commander Barry T. Cooke, and Navigator/Bombardier, Lieutenant junior grade Patrick K. Connor, were killed. Cooke's body was never found (officially listed as KIA-BNR) and Connor's body was recovered.
  • February 2 – An A-10A Thunderbolt II (Serial Number 80-0248) was shot down by an Igla-1 (SA-16) surface-to-air missile. The pilot, Captain Richard Dale Storr, was captured. He was released on March 6.
  • February 5 – An F/A-18A Hornet (Bureau Number 163096) crashed in the Persian Gulf. The pilot, Lieutenant Robert Dwyer, was lost over the North Persian Gulf after a successful mission to Iraq. Dwyer served in Carrier Air Wing 8 (CVW-8). His body was never recovered (officially listed as KIA-BNR).
  • February 9 – An AV-8B Harrier II (Bureau Number 162081) was shot down by a surface-to-air missile. The pilot, Captain Russell A.C. Sanborn, was captured. He was released on March 6.
  • February 13 – An EF-111A (Serial Number 66-0023), callsign Ratchet 75, crashed into terrain while maneuvering to evade a missile fired by an enemy Mirage F1 fighter, killing the pilot, Captain Douglas L. Bradt, and the Electronic Warfare Officer, Captain Paul R. Eichenlaub.
  • February 15 – An A-10A Thunderbolt II (Serial Number 78-0722) was shot down 60 miles northwest of Kuwait city while attacking Republican Guard targets. Thought to have been engaged by a SA-13 Gopher SAM. Pilot Lieutenant Robert Sweet ejected and was taken prisoner. He was released on March 6.
  • February 15 – An A-10A Thunderbolt II (Serial Number : 79-0130 Hit by ground fire approximately 60 miles northwest of Kuwait city while attacking Republican Guard targets. Thought to have been engaged by SA-13 Gopher SAM. Pilot Captain Steven Phyllis was killed. Phyllis died while protecting his downed wingman (1st Lieutenant Robert James Sweet). Phyllis' body was later recovered.
  • February 19 – An A-10A Thunderbolt II (Serial Number 76-0543) was shot down by a Strela-1 (SA-9) surface-to-air missile 62 nm northwest of Kuwait city. The pilot, Lieutenant Colonel Jeffery Fox (call sign "Nail 53"), was injured as he ejected, captured and held as a POW, until his release on March 6.
  • February 22 – An A-10A Thunderbolt II (Serial Number 79-0181) made a wheels up, hard stick landing after being hit by a SAM. The pilot, Captain Rich Biley, brought the aircraft in at King Khalid Military City, Forward Operating Location 1 where it was stripped of parts, some sent to King Fahd International Airport, Main Operating Base for use on other aircraft, and then buried in the desert. Biley was unhurt during the crash-landing.
  • February 23 – An AV-8B Harrier II (Bureau Number 161573) crashed when it failed to recover from a high angle dive during a night attack on a tank park in Ali Al Salem, Kuwait, possibly hit by AAA or a MANPAD. The pilot, Captain James N. Wilbourn), was killed and his body was later recovered.
  • February 25 – An AV-8B Harrier II (Bureau Number 163190) was hit by MANPADS and crashed while trying to land at Al Jaber airfield, Kuwait. The pilot, Captain Scott Walsh, ejected safely.
  • February 25 – An OV-10 Bronco (Bureau Number 155424) was shot down by a surface-to-air missile. The pilot, Major Joseph Small III, was captured and the observer, Captain David Spellacy, was killed. Major Small was released on March 6 and Captain Spellacy's body was recovered.
  • February 27 – An AV-8B Harrier II (Bureau Number 162740) was shot down by MANPADS. The pilot, Captain Reginald Underwood, was killed and his body was later recovered.
  • February 27 – An A-10A Thunderbolt II (Serial Number 77-0197), call sign Nail 51, crashed after a reconnaissance mission over Kuwait, killing pilot Lieutenant Patrick Olson (posthumously promoted to captain). The aircraft had been hit by a surface-to-air missile and, after losing all its hydraulics, was attempting a landing at King Khalid Military City, Forward Operating Location 1 in Manual Reversion in extreme weather conditions and with only one engine.
  • February 27 – An F-16C Fighting Falcon (Serial Number 84-1390) was shot down by an Igla-1 (SA-16) MANPADS. The pilot, Captain William Andrews, was captured. He was released on March 6.

1995 (Operation Deny Flight)[edit]

Main article: Operation Deny Flight

1999 (Operation Allied Force)[edit]

Main article: Operation Allied Force

2003–2011 (Operation Iraqi Freedom)[edit]

Main article: Operation Iraqi Freedom
  • April 2, 2003 –An F/A-18 Hornet of VFA-195 is shot down by friendly fire via US Patriot missile, killing the pilot.
  • April 7, 2003- During a mission over Baghdad, Kim Campbell's A-10 was heavily damaged by Iraqi AAA. The pilot managed to safely return to base.
  • April 7, 2003 - An F-15E Strike Eagle (Serial Number 88-1694) crashed near Tikrit. Enemy fire was not deemed likely cause of crash. The pilot, Eric Das, and Weapons Systems Officer, William Watkins, were killed.[2] Their bodies were recovered.[3]
  • April 8, 2003 – An A-10A Thunderbolt II (Serial Number 78-0691) was shot down over downtown Baghdad by an Iraqi Roland surface-to-air missile. The pilot survived.
  • May 2, 2005 – 2 F/A-18 Hornets of VMFA-323 collided with one another. Both pilots killed.
  • November 27, 2006- An F-16 Fighting Falcon was lost near Fallujah while on a low-altitude ground-strafing run when the pilot ran into the ground due to channelized attention on the target.[4][5] The pilot, Major Troy Gilbert, was killed.[6]
  • June 15, 2007- An F-16 Fighting Falcon crashed shortly after takeoff out of Balad Air Base due to spatial disorientation.[7][8] The pilot, Maj. Kevin Sonnenberg, was killed.
  • July 16, 2007- An F-16 Fighting Falcon crashed on takeoff from Balad Air Base due to a blown nose wheel tire at high speed.[9] Pilot managed to eject.
  • January 7, 2008- 2 F/A-18 Hornets operating from USS Harry S. Truman collided mid-air while on a mission in the Gulf. All three pilots were rescued.[10]

2001-2021 (War in Afghanistan)[edit]

  • September 22, 2001- An unknown US Aircraft was shot down in Afghanistan. This is the first loss of the Afghanistan War.[11]
  • January 9, 2002- A KC-130 Hercules crashed into a mountain while attempting a night landing in Pakistan. All on board were killed.[12]
  • February 13, 2002- A MC-130P Shadow crashed into rising terrain at night in poor visibility in the Hindu Kush Mountain range. All on board miraculously survived.[13]
  • June 12, 2002- An overloaded MC-130H Combat Talon crashed while attempting to takeoff from Sardeh Band.[14]
  • June 22, 2005- A U-2 Spyplane crashed due to mechanical malfunction, the pilot was killed crash-landing at Al Dhafra Air Base in the UAE.[15]
  • July 28, 2009- An F-15E Strike Eagle crashed due to pilot error in a training mission. Both crewmembers on board were killed.[16]
  • March 31, 2010- A U.S. Navy E-2 Hawkeye crashed due to a technical malfunction. 3 were rescued while one was deceased.[17]
  • April 9, 2010- A CV-22 Osprey crashed due to pilot error near Qalat, Zabul Province killing all on board.[18]
  • September 14, 2012- 1 C-130 Hercules and 8 USMC AV-8B Harrier II aircraft were destroyed by Taliban insurgents during The attack on Camp Bastion. This became the worst U.S. aircraft loss in 1 day since the Vietnam War. Two Marines from the VMA-211 were killed in the attack.
  • April 3, 2013- An F-16 Fighting Falcon crashed during a landing in Parwan province killing the pilot.[19]
  • April 27, 2013- A USAF MC-12 Liberty crashed in Shahjoi district of Zabul province, about 110 miles (180 kilometers) northeast of Kandahar Air Field, killing all on board.
  • May 3, 2013- A Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker crashed on departure in Kyrgyzstan. All three crew members were killed in the crash.
  • October 2, 2015- A C-130J operated by Dyess Air Force Base, crashed due to pilot error at Jalalabad Airfield killing all 11 on board, along with two people on the ground.[20]
  • March 29, 2016- An F-16 Fighting Falcon crashed in the Seh Dukān locality after an engine turbine failure.[21] The pilot managed to eject.[22]
  • January 27, 2020- A U.S. Air Force E-11A was reported crashed in Afghanistan by US officials due to technical malfunction.[23]

2011 (First Libyan Civil War)[edit]

  • March 21, 2011- An F-15E Strike Eagle (91–304) crashed from a fuel balance malfunction over the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya forces in Bengazi, Libya. The 2 pilots were able to eject to friendly territory and were eventually rescued by US Marines.

2011-present (Syrian civil war)[edit]

  • November 30, 2014- An F-16 Fighting Falcon crashed moments after taking off. The pilot was killed.
  • September 29, 2017- A USMC MV-22 Osprey crash landed. All on board managed to survive while 2 on board were injured.[24]

Table[edit]

Losses per Airframe Type
Airframe Losses Operator
A-6 Intruder 4 USN
A-7 Corsair II 1 USN
F-4G Wild Weasel 1 USAF
F-111 Aardvark 2 USAF
OV-10 Bronco 2 USAF
A-10A Thunderbolt II 7 USAF
F-14 Tomcat 1 USN
F-15E Strike Eagle 5 USAF
F-16C Fighting Falcon 89 USAF
F/A-18 Hornet 74 USN
AV-8B Harrier II 54 USMC
F-117 Nighthawk 1 USAF
AC-130H Spectre 15 USAF
Total 256

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "1983 Strike on Lebanon." New York Times. Retrieved: 19 April 2015.
  2. ^ Tweedie, Neil (2003-06-05). "US fighter 'shot down with missile left by SBS'". ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2020-01-03.
  3. ^ "VMH: WILLIAM R. WATKINS, III, LTCOL, USAF". usnamemorialhall.org. Retrieved 2020-01-03.
  4. ^ "F-16 accident report released". Air Force. 2007-04-02. Retrieved 2023-12-01.
  5. ^ "Accident General Dynamics F-16CG 90-0776,". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 2023-12-01.
  6. ^ "Al Jazeera English - News - Us F-16 Goes Down In Iraq". 2007-12-10. Archived from the original on 2007-12-10. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
  7. ^ "Accident General Dynamics F-16C Fighting Falcon 89-2031,". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 2023-12-01.
  8. ^ "F-16.net - The ultimate F-16, F-35 and F-22 reference". www.f-16.net. Retrieved 2023-12-01.
  9. ^ "Incident General Dynamics F-16C Fighting Falcon 92-3901,". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 2023-12-01.
  10. ^ "2 Navy Fighter Jets Crash In Persian Gulf - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. 2008-01-07. Retrieved 2023-12-01.
  11. ^ "Afghanistan: Taliban schießen Fluggerät ab". Der Spiegel (in German). 2001-09-22. ISSN 2195-1349. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
  12. ^ Patterson, Michael Robert (2023-11-28). "Marines Killed In Tanker Plane Crash - 9 January 2002". Arlington National Cemetery. Retrieved 2023-12-01.
  13. ^ "ASN Aircraft accident Lockheed MC-130P Combat Shadow 66-0213 Hindu Kush mountain range". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  14. ^ "ASN Aircraft accident Lockheed MC-130H Combat Talon II 84-0475 Gardez". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 2023-12-01.
  15. ^ "CNN.com - Pilot of U.S. spy plane killed - Jun 22, 2005". edition.cnn.com. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  16. ^ "U.S. fighter jet crashes in Afghanistan, 2 dead". Reuters. 2009-07-18. Retrieved 2023-05-14.
  17. ^ "U.S. Navy Plane Crashes in North Arabian Sea, One Missing". Fox News. 2015-03-25. Retrieved 2023-05-14.
  18. ^ "Air Force Shoots Down Investigation Into Deadly Crash". www.wired.com. Retrieved 2023-05-14.
  19. ^ "Air Force pilot killed in crash in Afghanistan". 2013-04-15.
  20. ^ Samoon, Inamullah (2015-10-02). "Taliban Says It Shot Down Crashed US C-130 In Afghanistan". Airforce Time. Retrieved 2023-05-14.
  21. ^ Losey, Stephen (2016-11-17). "Air Force: Engine failure caused F-16 crash in Afghanistan". Air Force Times. Retrieved 2023-12-01.
  22. ^ "US F-16 crashes in Afghanistan". www.aa.com.tr. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  23. ^ "E-11A Accident Investigation Board Report Released". www.acc.af.mil. Retrieved 2023-05-14.
  24. ^ Browne, Ryan (2017-09-29). "US aircraft crashes in Syria | CNN Politics". CNN. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
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