The F-14 Tomcat Fighter did the impossible: it shot itself down

What you need to know: The Grumman F-14 Tomcat, a respected US Navy fighter aircraft, became one of the few aircraft to shoot itself down.

During a test on June 20, 1973, the launch of an AIM-7 Sparrow missile went wrong, causing the missile to hit the aircraft.

-Test pilots Pete Purvis and Bill “Tank” Sherman lost control when debris entered the engine, causing the plane to catch fire.

-The pilots were able to fly out safely, but the incident became a notable part of the F-14’s history. It underlines the rigorous testing required for weapon systems and contributes to the F-14’s legendary legacy.

When the F-14 Tomcat shot itself down: a legendary accident

One of the most beloved fighter jets of all time was the Grumman F-14 Tomcat. The F-14 had a long career as a defender of the US Navy’s aircraft carriers and then as a multi-role fighter before being retired in 2006. Few people realize, however, that the F-14 earned the dubious distinction of being one of the few aircraft to ever shoot itself down, an accident that has not been repeated since.

The F-14 Tomcat was designed as a premier air superiority fighter for the US Navy. The Tomcat was a large twin-engine fighter with a powerful AWG-9 radar and not two but three types of air-to-air missiles. He was equally at home in intercepting Soviet bombers at long ranges as he was in dogfights with MiGs.

In the final years of its career, the F-14 would evolve into an attack aircraft capable of carrying the Paveway series of laser-guided bombs.

The F-14 Tomcat was developed in the early 1970s in response to the US Navy’s air combat experiences in Vietnam’s airspace. One of the three missiles carried by the F-14 was the AIM-7 Sparrow medium-range air-to-air missile. The Sparrow was a radar-guided missile that worked together with the (then) world-famous radar system of the F-14. Once launched, the Sparrow would be guided to the target by signals from the launch aircraft, while the AWG-9 tracked the enemy target.

This allowed the Sparrow to attack targets beyond visual range. (The Sparrow was eventually replaced in US military service by the AIM-120 AMRAAM missile.)

On June 20, 1973something unexpected happened during weapons tests in the skies over the Pacific Ocean. Grumman test pilots Pete Purvis and Bill “Tank” Sherman were flying an early production F-14 over the Pacific Missile Test Range off the coast of Southern California, preparing to launch an AIM-7 Sparrow missile when disaster struck. struck.

The plane, struck by its own missile, quickly caught fire and went out of control. The two pilots ejected from the stricken aircraft and were rescued unharmed on the ground.

The AIM-7 Sparrow missile was not launched like other missiles. Missiles such as the AIM-9 Sidewinder were carried aloft on launch rails, igniting their engines, sliding off the rail and then blasting off to find their targets. The AIM-7 was carried flush with the lower fuselage of the aircraft, with half of the missile and its guidance fins recessed into the aircraft.

As soon as the pilot pulled the trigger, explosive bolts released the rocket, which went into free fall. The rocket’s rocket motor would kick in and the Sparrow continued on its way.

At least that was how it was supposed to work. On that day in June 1973, Purvis and Sherman thought it would be a relatively uneventful test launch. Engineers had assured them that the rocket would drop as planned, and similar Sparrow launches from other stations on the plane went off without a hitch.

After all, a similar launch system was used for the Sparrow missile on the F-4 Phantom II, the Navy’s current front-line fighter.

During the test flight, the aircraft flew at a speed of 0.95 Mach at an altitude of 5,000 feet. At the moment of truth, Purvis pulled the trigger that sent the AIM-7E-2 test rocket on its way. The aircrew heard a much louder launch noise than they had heard before and the rocket passed over the nose of the Tomcat.

To their surprise, the two fighter pilots saw the Sparrow tumble upside down and spew fire.

At that point, things moved quickly. The failed missile launch had created debris, which was located on the left side of the F-14 Pratt & Whitney TF-30 afterburning turbofan engine was immediately swallowed. The engine quickly caught fire and Purvis lost control of the stricken aircraft. Purvis and Sherman ejected and parachuted into the Pacific waters below.

Both men managed to crawl into life rafts and were picked up safe and sound by rescue helicopters brought in by pursuit planes that had witnessed the entire incident.

The F-14 was one of the largest fighter aircraft of the post-war period, but was not without development problems. The 1973 incident is a clear example of why weapons systems, especially aircraft, are extensively tested to ensure they are safe to use.

The F-14 will forever be known as one of the few U.S. military aircraft to shoot itself down, adding to the legendary fighter’s colorful reputation.

About the author

Sébastien Roblin holds a master’s degree in conflict resolution from Georgetown University and served as an assistant professor for the Peace Corps in China. He has also worked in education, editing and refugee resettlement in France and the United States. He currently writes about security and military history for War Is Boring.

Image credits: Creative Commons.