From information found on the wide-world-interweb-net: 7-20-93, an F-14 Tomcat of VF-213 crashes attempting to land aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72). The plane explodes and skids across the deck, with most of the wreckage going overboard. The pilot, Lt. Matthew T. Claar of Newton, PA was killed, but the RIO, Lt. Robert D. Fuller of Boise, Idaho was recovered with minor injuries. There was no major damage to the ship.
The LSO who knew him gives a pretty emotional story about that night when he was the one waving Lt. Claar aboard. ruclips.net/video/3oaYtgzq_tk/видео.html
"Attempting a night landing aboard USS Abraham Lincoln, operating in the Eastern Indian Ocean, Grumman F-14A-90-GR Tomcat, BuNo 159843,[83] 'NH 111', of VF-213, piloted by Lt. Matthew T. Claar "Planet", first bird in the recovery cycle, drops below approach slope just before reaching fantail, suffers massive ramp strike at 2104:33 hrs. with rear fuselage striking deck and completely disintegrating aft of the wing in huge fireball and pitching airframe up on its nose and skidding along port edge of the angle leaving trail of burning fuel in its wake. Both crew eject in Martin-Baker seats, but only RIO Lt. Dean A. Fuller survives, trajectory into the water off the angle, with minor injuries, recovered by SAR helicopter. Pilot, who sequenced out first, did so while the airframe was extremely nose-low, landed on deck and died on impact, immediate attempts to resuscitate him for nought. LSO had repeatedly tried to wave him off, according to CPL Kevin R. Fox, Powerline, VMFA-314 Black Knights, whom the pilot landed right in front of. Through diligent efforts of crew, all fires were extinguished and a ready deck was available for further recoveries in 33 minutes. An award, a sword, is given to the outstanding Midshipman 1/C selected for Naval Aviation, chosen by the NROTC Staff at Villanova University in Lt. Claar's memory, where he was a 1986 graduate." navy.togetherweserved.com/usn/servlet/tws.webapp.WebApp?cmd=ShadowBoxProfile&type=EventExt&ID=263855 You can see the pilot ejecting at 51 seconds in the top right of the video. I was in the hanger bay at the time of the strike. I got to the "Roof" about the time they were carrying Lt Claar off the deck. It was very obvious that there was no reviving him. R.I.P. Lt. Claar.
RunsWithBears I’m no expert but watching the crosshairs, which is the reference for optimum glide slope and alignment with the angled carrier deck, and the F-14 trying to correct their approach, there’s the possibility they’re coming aboard with a pitching deck in rough seas. I could be wrong but that’s possible.
Read various reports on this accident. Was a difficult recovery with the deck pitching in a swell. But it’s pilot error none the less. He was waved off. A very experienced pilot apparently. So it happens to the best of them. Of course, if your a women flying a Tomcat, your told you crashed because your a women. And even have your confidential training records leaked to the media. Even though they partially prove that in class and in the air you were better than some of the men….. RIP Revlon….
Guessing pilot took his eyes off the ball and spotted the deck?
From information found on the wide-world-interweb-net: 7-20-93, an F-14 Tomcat of VF-213 crashes attempting to land aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72). The plane explodes and skids across the deck, with most of the wreckage going overboard. The pilot, Lt. Matthew T. Claar of Newton, PA was killed, but the RIO, Lt. Robert D. Fuller of Boise, Idaho was recovered with minor injuries. There was no major damage to the ship.
The LSO who knew him gives a pretty emotional story about that night when he was the one waving Lt. Claar aboard. ruclips.net/video/3oaYtgzq_tk/видео.html
Rip Matt.
Very sad. Anyone know how this happened?
He more than likely reduced the throttle too much and the plane lost lift.
"Attempting a night landing aboard USS Abraham Lincoln, operating in the Eastern Indian Ocean, Grumman F-14A-90-GR Tomcat, BuNo 159843,[83] 'NH 111', of VF-213, piloted by Lt. Matthew T. Claar "Planet", first bird in the recovery cycle, drops below approach slope just before reaching fantail, suffers massive ramp strike at 2104:33 hrs. with rear fuselage striking deck and completely disintegrating aft of the wing in huge fireball and pitching airframe up on its nose and skidding along port edge of the angle leaving trail of burning fuel in its wake. Both crew eject in Martin-Baker seats, but only RIO Lt. Dean A. Fuller survives, trajectory into the water off the angle, with minor injuries, recovered by SAR helicopter. Pilot, who sequenced out first, did so while the airframe was extremely nose-low, landed on deck and died on impact, immediate attempts to resuscitate him for nought. LSO had repeatedly tried to wave him off, according to CPL Kevin R. Fox, Powerline, VMFA-314 Black Knights, whom the pilot landed right in front of. Through diligent efforts of crew, all fires were extinguished and a ready deck was available for further recoveries in 33 minutes. An award, a sword, is given to the outstanding Midshipman 1/C selected for Naval Aviation, chosen by the NROTC Staff at Villanova University in Lt. Claar's memory, where he was a 1986 graduate."
navy.togetherweserved.com/usn/servlet/tws.webapp.WebApp?cmd=ShadowBoxProfile&type=EventExt&ID=263855
You can see the pilot ejecting at 51 seconds in the top right of the video.
I was in the hanger bay at the time of the strike. I got to the "Roof" about the time they were carrying Lt Claar off the deck. It was very obvious that there was no reviving him. R.I.P. Lt. Claar.
RunsWithBears I’m no expert but watching the crosshairs, which is the reference for optimum glide slope and alignment with the angled carrier deck, and the F-14 trying to correct their approach, there’s the possibility they’re coming aboard with a pitching deck in rough seas. I could be wrong but that’s possible.
A colleague of mine who was on board that night did say seas were rough.
Read various reports on this accident. Was a difficult recovery with the deck pitching in a swell. But it’s pilot error none the less. He was waved off.
A very experienced pilot apparently. So it happens to the best of them.
Of course, if your a women flying a Tomcat, your told you crashed because your a women. And even have your confidential training records leaked to the media. Even though they partially prove that in class and in the air you were better than some of the men….. RIP Revlon….
R.I.P.