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

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

-Test pilots Pete Purvis and Bill “Tank” Sherman lost control as debris was ingested into the engine, setting the plane on fire.

-The pilots ejected safely, but the incident has become a notable part of F-14 history. It emphasizes the rigorous testing required for weapon systems and contributes to the historical legacy of the F-14.

When the F-14 Tomcat went down: a legendary event

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 US Navy carrier task force defender and then a multi-role fighter before being retired in 2006. However, few people realize that the F-14 earned the dubious distinction of being one of the few aircraft ever to crash, an accident that has not been duplicated since.

The F-14 Tomcat was designed to provide a first-class air superiority fighter for the US Navy. A large, twin-engine fighter with a powerful AWG-9 radar and not two but three types of air-to-air missiles, the Tomcat was equally at home intercepting Soviet long-range bombers and fighting 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 US Navy air combat experiences in the skies over Vietnam. 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 in conjunction with the F-14’s radar system (at the time). Once launched, the Sparrow would be guided to the target by signals sent from the launch aircraft as the AWG-9 tracked the enemy target.

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

On June 20, 1973something unexpected happened during weapons testing in the sky above 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 it the disaster occurred.

The plane, hit 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 up the launcher tracks, firing their engines, sliding off the track and then moving away to find their target. The AIM-7 was carried flush with the aircraft’s lower fuselage, with half of the missile and guidance fins buried inside the aircraft.

Once the pilot pulled the trigger, the explosive bolts released the rocket, which went into free fall downwards. The missile’s rocket motor would start and the Sparrow continued on its way.

At least that’s how it was supposed to work. On that day in June 1973, Purvis and Sherman believed their launch would be a relatively uneventful test launch. Engineers assured them the rocket would fall as planned, and similar Sparrow launches from other aircraft stations 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 frontline fighter.

During the test flight, the aircraft was flying at Mach 0.95 at an altitude of 5,000 feet. In the moment of truth, Purvis pulled the trigger that should have sent the AIM-7E-2 test missile on its way. The crew heard a launch noise much louder than they had heard before and the rocket flew past the nose of the Tomcat.

To their surprise, the two jet pilots saw the Sparrow topple over, spewing fire.

Things moved quickly at that point. The mislaunch of the missile created debris, which the F-14 was on the left side of The Pratt & Whitney TF-30 afterburner turbofan engine was instantly ingested. The engine quickly caught fire and Purvis lost control of the stricken aircraft. Purvis and Sherman ejected, parachuting into the waters of the Pacific Ocean below.

Both men managed to climb into life rafts and were picked up, safe and sound, by rescue helicopters carried by chase planes that saw the entire incident.

The F-14 was one of the greatest fighters of the post-war period, but it was not without its development problems. The 1973 incident is a clear example of why weapons systems, especially aircraft, are subjected to exhaustive testing to ensure they are safe to use.

The F-14 will forever be known as one of the few US military aircraft to be shot down, contributing to the colorful reputation of the legendary warplane.

About the author

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

Image credit: Creative Commons.