Accidents – Incidents 1988

26 January 1988 TF-104G 5816/9-816 192filo THK written off pilots killed
This former Dutch Air Force TF-104G crashed near or at homebase Balikesir. Both pilots Hv. Plt. Kur. Bnb. Sahir Beceren (39) and Hv. Plt. Ütgm K. Ümit Ortac (26) were sadly killed in this accident. Cause unknown. Picture of the aircraft beneath thanks to Atilla Dalkilic.
8 February 1988 F-104A 4243 8TFS RoCAF written off pilot killed
(USAF serial 56-844) It crashed this day when encountering a compressor stall just after taking off. It crashed near Taichung Port (Tai Zhong harbour). Pilot Guan Jen-Fu (27) was sadly killed. This was the last crashed F-104A Starfighter. Photo of aircraft 4243 are rare, this one beneath was obtained from the RoCAF.
4243
22 February 1988 F-104S 6858/9-858 191filo THK written off pilot ok
This Starfighter crashed near or at homebase Balikesir due to an unknown cause. The pilot ejected safely.
21 March 1988 TF-104G 5701/4-701 141filo THK written off pilots ok
This Starfighter was lost in a crash at or near Murted Air Base due to an unknown cause. Both pilots were ok.
23 March 1988 TF-104G 4180 12SMS RoCAF written off pilots ok
(USAF serial 61/3084) It crashed in mountain area in Northern Taiwan (Chiao Hsi (Jiao Xi) in I Lan County, after encountering a flame-out. Both pilots, LtCol Pan Do-Tai and Capt Li Der-An ejected safely. Li walked along a water pipe and found mountain police. They helped to organize a search and rescue and then they recovered Pan.
(Note: Li lateron died in an accident with aircraft 4312 at CCK.)
4 April 1988 TF-104G 5731/6-731 161filo THK written off pilots ok
It encountered a nosegear collapse at the runway of homebase Bandirma. Both pilots could step out. The aircraft was declared damaged beyond economical repair and was stripped and scrapped later on. Photo thanks to Orhan Yuksel.
5731_6-731_nosewheelcollapse
11 April 1988 F-104J 4507 3 AG RoCAF written off pilots ok
(FMS serial 46-8569) It crashed after take off from likely CCK airbase due to unknown cause. The pilot ejected safely.
31 May 1988 TF-104G MM54229/4-28 4St/20gr AMI written off pilots killed
This Starfighter, flying in clean configuration, crashed near Trapani-Birgi while making a barrel roll at very low altitude with flaps configured at "TO", for a movie. Montagna was an NCO photographer. At that time the Italian television made a fiction named "Aquile" (also found on youtube), a history of young pilots in the Italian Air Force and for this they worked at Trapani AB. The flight of TF-104 should be a part of this fiction. Both crew members pilot Major Piero Vidale and Serg. Magg. Giovanni Montagna were sadly killed in this tragical accident. Beneath a photo of this aircraft, taken at homebase Grosseto in August 1986 by Hans Koning.
MM54229_4-28_LIRS_1986
31 May 1988 RF-104G 5663 12SMS RoCAF written off pilot ok
31 May 1988 RF-104G 4392 12SMS RoCAF written off pilot ok
(5663 USAF serial 63-13272 and 4392 USAF serial 65-12751) Both crashed while landing at homebase TaoYuan. Aircraft 5663 was hit by a tiptank jettisoned by aircraft 4392 (flightleader) which was in trouble while landing as lead. Pilot Hsieh Hsin Ban ejected safely from 5663. The tiptank from 4392 hit the 5663 on its rudder. The 5663 drag chute failed to open and the aircraft run of the runway to the right and stopped in the grass and was damaged beyond repair. The aircraft 4392 was carrying a LOROP training nose to practise low altitude operations. It sank too fast, the pilot jettisoned wingtip tanks (of which one hit aircraft 5663) and selected full power, however it still hit the runway severely. Aircraft was declared damaged beyond repair. Pilot Maj Huan Cheng-Chung was gladly safe. Photo beneath shows the aircraft 4392 in the background carrying the mentioned LOROP training nose. (Clarence Fu Collection)
4400_4392_80s
5 July 1988 F-104G 7027/4-027 141filo THK written off pilot ok
This Starfighter crashed near or at homebase Murted due to unknown cause. Gladly the pilot was ok.
8 July 1988 F-104G 4364 2TFW RoCAF written off pilot ok
It was damaged due to unknown reason and inspection resulted in the aircraft being declared wo in 1993. No casualties, pilot was ok. Beneath two photos, the first one showing the aircraft while landing at CCK in the 70s. the second aircraft when it just had received the light grey overall color scheme. This photo was taken late 80s.
4364_CCK_70s4364_grey_80s
27 July 1988 F-104G MM6608/3-15 3St/132gr AMI written off pilot killed
It crashed just after takeoff from homebase Villafranca (Verona), hitting the installations at the end of the runway. The pilot Cpt. Sandro Sordoni (30) was sadly killed. It was stated that this was caused by a wrong flap selection. The tragical crash resulted in a big fire at the airbase. The aircraft was configured with pylon/tiptanks and Orpheus pod. Beneath a picture taken of this aircraft late 80s.
MM6608_3-15_80s
9 August 1988 F-104S 6898/9-898 181filo THK written off pilot killed
It crashed near homebase Balikesir due to unknown cause. Pilot Lt Sabri Aksu (26) was killed.
19 August 1988 F-104G 4373 2TFW RoCAF written off pilot ?
(USAF serial 63-13252) It was written off this day due to unknown cause. Likely the pilot safe but unconfirmed.
1 Sep 1988 F-104J 4517 7TFS RoCAF incident pilot ok
(FMS serial 46-8627) It crashed into sea after take-off due to unknown reason. Pilot Capt Chen ejected safely.
5 Sep 1988 F-104S/ASA MM6933/5-33 5St/23gr AMI written off pilot ok
It crashed at Torrente Ausa, 200m from Rimini-South, when encountering technical problems just after takeoff from Rimini AB at 7:18 AM in the morning. Pilot Capt. Dario Aloisi ejected safely but was slightly injured. He managed to fly the aircraft away from populated area before ejecting but nevertheless 1 person (23) on the ground was injured. This could have been lots worse if the pilot had ejected immediately. The aircraft was in a tip/pylontank configuration. Beneath a few pictures showing the remains of the engine and the impact location (AMI flight safety magazine). Also some color pictures of the crash site thanks to Roberto Botteghi.
MM6933_accident_engineMM6933_accident_1988
@
16 Sep 1988 F-104G 9005/4-005 141filo THK written off pilot ok
On this day this Starfighter was lost at or near home base Murted. The pilot was ok. Picture beneath was provided by Soner Capoglu (Turkish Air Force).
29 Sep 1988 F-104G 8313/6-313 161filo THK written off pilot ok
It crashed at or near home base Bandirma. Gladly the pilot was ok. The picture beneath of this aircraft was taken by Johan van der Wei, one year before it was lost in September 1987, at its homebase Bandirma.
19 October 1988 TF-104G MM54557/- 4St/20gr AMI written off pilots ok
This TF-104G was delivered (ex Luftwaffe) by the Alenia factory to Grosseto 20 Gruppo on 21 September 1988. It had not yet a serial applied when one month later it flew to Bitburg. There it made a very heavy landing, collapsing its landinggear, and skidding over the runway. Both pilots, T.Col Landi and T.Col Tedesca, safely egressed and were rescued uninjured. It happened during the landing at Bitburg as a pair (with another F-104) . The accident aircraft hit the runway very hard, collapsed the nose gear and broke off the nose of the aircraft. The lead aircraft made a normal landing and exited the runway end. The aircraft was declared written off at Alenia late 1988 and put in storage. The wreck was seen later on the dump (from at least July 2001) at Grosseto and still had no code “yet” applied although code 4-43 had already been assigned to it (administration). Beneath a photo taken at Bitburg in October 1988 and one taken at the Grosseto dump in 2001 showing the remaining fuselage.
MM54557_ncode_Bitburg_1988MM54557_4-43_Bitburg2MM54557_Grosseto_2001
14 Dec 1988 F-104G MM6588/3-07 3St/132gr AMI written off pilot ok
It suffered cat3 damage at homebase Villafranca when its undercarriage leg failed while landing. It could be repaired but actually never flew again...It was officially declared written-off on 1 February 1989. Later on the aircraft was used for spare-parts. Beneath a photo taken in June 1993 at the storage area of Villafranca showing what has left of MM6588 after cannibalization.
MM6588_3-07_LIPX_jun93

##

Back to accidents overview