Home / RF-4B Mishaps / RF-4B Phantom ) 80s Major RF-4B Phantom MishapsBy Marc "Devil Dog Of The Web" Iseli / Updated Dec. 2025 The RF-4B Phantom, the Marine Corps’ answer to the question, “How much camera gear can you cram into a jet before it starts flying like a drunken daulphin?” She was the recce pig you got stuck with when you lost a bet, and her idea of self-defense was hoping the enemy died laughing. Flying solo, low, and fast, because apparently, we liked our odds against both gravity and common sense, the RF-4B’s mishap record reads like a daredevil’s medical chart. Nose-High Trap? That snout was so long, you needed a periscope to see the deck. Get behind the power curve, and you’d be swimming with the fishes before the J79s even woke up. Hydraulics? More like hydraulic roulette. Lose the utility system, and you’d better hope the barrier crew had their Wheaties, because you were coming in hot with the gear half down and the flaps somewhere in the next zip code. And don’t get me started on the photoflash racks, one spark in there and you’d light up the night sky like a Fourth of July gone horribly wrong. Welcome to recce, devil dog. Try not to set yourself on fire.  RF-4B Phantom Mishaps 1980 - 1990 RF-4B Texas Crash, PDF Aircraft RF01 #151975 (Pilot) Lt. Col. Burton P Sperry III (RSO) Capt. Michael S Fagen Eject. 25 May, 1980-The aircrew made safe ejections. Capt. Fagan ejected through the rear canopy; the oxygen supply then failed to activate due to a flaw in the design of the activator switch; then the drogue slug struck the NES-8B parachute canopy, tearing a hole in one panel. He suffered a minor concussion and separated shoulder--he was transported from the scene by civilian ambulance. Lt.Col Sperry was located by a civilian policeman on routine patrol; he then apparently returned to NAS Dallas aboard t he Marine Reserve MAG-41 Sikorsky CH-53 Sea Stallion helicopter dispatched to the scene....Read More. RF-4B Nevada Crash Aircraft RF24 #153101 Pilot Lt. Pete keenan RSO Lt. Bill Lauerman By Marc "Devil Dog Of The Web" Iseli / Updated Dec. 2025 )
22 May, 1981-This is my version of the events
of that accident. At that time, 1981, it
was common practice in the squadron to launch
aircraft on Fridays for weekend hops. I was
in charge of aircraft RF24 on 22 May, that
Friday morning. For some reason, I had my
pocket camera with me and took this photo
just before Lt Lauerman climbed into the
back seat. I had already helped strap Lt
Keenan in the front seat. This is the time
anyone in the squadron would ever see them
again. It was a normal launch, and I taxied
them out, saluted Lt Keenan, and he returned
the salute, and off they went....Read
More.RF-4B Iwakuni Crash Aircraft #157342 (Pilot) Capt. Chuck Overstress Strong (RSO) Capt. Terry T-Bird Sweeney By Capt. Terry T-Bird Sweeney / Updated Dec. 2025  11 Jan.1983-I was flying with Capt. Chuck
"overstress" Strong on January
11, 1983 in Iwakuni. We were on short final,
when we had a duel engine flame out. Overstress
yelled. "Hang on T-Bird." The next
thing I knew I was flying Martin Baker. He
had "punched us out." The aircraft
was # 157342. However, the plane ended up
landing by itself. In fact it only had class
"B" damage. It is the only jet
in the history of military aviation (Navy,
Marine, Air Force) that anyone ever ejected
out of, that flew again. RF-4B USS Midway Crash Aircraft RF25 #153109 (Pilot) Capt. Mike Healey (RSO) Maj. John Yencha 
January 1984
Maj. John Yencha (RSO) and Capt. Mike Healey
(pilot in command) of VMFP-3, Det. Alpha,
were on a routine reconnaissance mission
during midday cyclic operations in the Indian
Ocean when their RF-4B Phantom II experienced
a utility hydraulic failure. Healey immediately
turned the aircraft back toward the USS Midway
while Yencha contacted strike and notified
the ship of their situation. A short discussion
aboard the Midway ensued and it was decided
that a barricade landing would be attempted
as per NATOPS. Air operations notified the
aircrew of the decision and went over the
plan with them. Meanwhile, below, on the
deck of the Midway, all three of the arresting
cables were pulled and the barricade was
rigged. Flying at 5,000 feet downwind, Healey
blew the flaps down and turned inbound for
a five-mile straight-in approach. Paddles
took control from one mile out. As the RF-4B
crossed the round-down, the LSO gave the
command "CUT!," and the result
was a picture-perfect barricade engagement.
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RF-4B Philippines Crash Aircraft RF25 #153109 (Pilot) Capt. Huey D. Moser Jr. (RSO) 1Lt. Andrew C. Auer 27 Oct. , 1987 
As Shark 71 entered the photoflash
run the left side ejector raks
fired normally;
when the right side ejector racks
began to fire seven cartridges
fired normally;
the eighth did not fire, remaining
in the rack; the ninth cartridge
fired normally;
the tenth cartridge failed to
eject from the rack. The 'fired
but not ejected'
cartridge exploded, causing a
small pinhole leak in the Power
ControlII
(PCII)
hydraulic system. The leak atomized
and caught fire which in turn
burned through
the aileron rudder interconnect
system wire bundle. Whenthe fire
burned into/through
the wire bundle an uncommand
5-10 degree instantaneous rudder
input caught
the aircrew
by suprise. The aircrew immediately
ejected, losing their helmets,
oxygen masks
and
velcro covers from their SV-2
vests. After the aircrew ejected
the aircraft
continued
to pitch up to almost 90 degrees
and decelerate to zero airspeed
at which
time the aircraft
fell away on the left wing to
almost 90 degree nose down until
impact with
the ground.
The crash occured 29 mi generally
north from NAS Cubi Point. The
Range Safety
Monitor
initiated the SAR recovery efforts
immediately--the USAF SAR helicopter
was
on the site
in under ten minutes. The aircrew
was helolifted to Clark AB where
they underwent
the medical
checks. Some 98% of the wreckage
was recovered with the aft fuselage
section
transfered to the
NARF depot for investigation
of the photoflash malfunction.
Watch The Video RF-4B California Crash Aircraft RF32 #157347 (Pilot) Lt. Jon A. Barber (RSO) Capt. Tim P. Hewitt 09 May, 1990 By Rich Rentrop / Updated Dec. 2025 Was lost at sea off the coast of San Clemente Island. The aircrew made a successful ejection. The mission was a Day FAM Flight filed for IFR/VFR, VMC over the W-291 range. The aircrew was engaged in aerobatics when the aircraft departed controlled flight. The aircraft crashed due to a stall spin.
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FlashBack TriviaNaval Air Facility El Centro, CA By Marc "Devil Dog Of The Web" Iseli / Updated Dec. 2025 RF-4B 151979 that took a barracade trap aboard the USS Midway Jan. 1984 when it's nose landing gear failed to deploy. It was taken out of service and strangly converted to look like a F-4J Blue Angel Phantom and placed on display in the Blue Angel Park at the Naval Air Facility, El Centro, California. Alright, you glorious Rat Phixers and Phlyers, if we ever survived a TAD, a Det, or a BOHICA, who haven't, and you didn’t think I was the biggest gaff off in the squadron. Got a sea story, or some grainy photos your ex didn’t set on fire, and they’re only slightly illegal? Send ‘em by email, snail mail, or safety wire it to a carrier pigeon. I collect ‘em all, just nothing that would incriminate me. 80svmfp3@gmail.com Return To The Home Page  |
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