Found at: http://www.lvrj.com/lvrj_home/1998/Sep-05-Sat-1998/news/8164087.html
The crash Friday of two search and rescue helicopters on
the Nellis Air Force Range north of Las Vegas ranks as the worst military air disaster in
Nellis history. Here are other fatal air accidents that have occurred on and near the
5,200-square-mile range:
July 18, 1944 -- Six people died when a twin-engine AT-11
military plane crashed into a mountainside on a routine training mission between what was then
the Las Vegas Army Air Base and Indian Springs Air Base. The plane's engine failed.
April 21, 1958 -- A United Airlines DC-7 and a Nellis
F-100F fighter jet collided midair near Mount Potosi, killing 49 people -- most of them
civilians -- in the worst airline disaster in Las Vegas history.
August 1967 -- A Nellis pilot was killed when his F-100
Sabre jet crashed on what was then the Las Vegas Bombing and Gunnery Range 10 miles north of
Indian Springs.
Nov. 12, 1967 -- Two Nellis pilots were killed when their
Air Force U-6A single-engine prop plane smashed into the side of a mountain about 15 miles
northwest of Indian Springs.
January 1969 -- A veteran of 250 missions in Southeast Asia
was killed in a midair collision between two Air Force F-100D Super Sabre jets above the Nellis
range.
October 1969 -- Two pilots were killed when their F-4
Phantom jet crashed on the northwest corner of the Nellis range.
Dec. 17, 1969 -- A Nellis pilot testing an experimental
bomb fuse was killed when a 750-pound bomb exploded an instant after it was released, sending
his F-105D Thunderchief spiraling down in flames. The crash occurred at Indian Springs.
Jan. 24, 1970 -- An Ohio Air National Guardsman died when
his F-84 jet fighter crashed during a gunner practice mission on the Nellis range.
September 1971 -- Two airmen were killed and two others
were injured when two F-4 Phantom jets collided about halfway between Caliente and Elgin.
August 1972 -- Two Nellis airmen were killed when their F-4
fighter jet crashed into the Nellis range. The airmen were on a nighttime attack training
mission.
January 1973 -- An F-4 Phantom jet crashed on the Nellis
range, killing two crewmen who were engaged in a simulated dogfight above Mormon Peak.
July 1973 -- An Air Force A-7 aircraft loaded with live
ammunition crashed and exploded on a training mission northeast of Beatty, killing the pilot.
January 1975 -- Two Nellis airmen were killed when their
F-4 Phantom jet crashed on the Nellis range near Caliente. The jet was part of an electronic
warfare training mission.
Aug. 5, 1975 -- A Nellis pilot was killed when his A-7
fighter aircraft crashed on the Nellis range about 40 miles southeast of Tonopah.
Feb. 15, 1976 -- Two crewmen were killed when an Air Force
F-4 Phantom II jet crashed on the Nellis range 40 miles northeast of Beatty.
October 1976 -- An Air Force pilot was killed when his A-7D
aircraft crashed on the Nellis range. He was participating in the Red Flag exercises.
Oct. 22, 1976 -- An Air Force pilot was killed when his
A-7D aircraft crashed into the Nellis range.
Dec. 6, 1976 -- Two crew members from a squadron based at
Moody Air Force Base in Georgia were killed when their F-4E Phantom jet crashed about 60 miles
southeast of Tonopah. The crew was participating in the Red Flag exercises.
July 28, 1977 -- A Texas Air National Guard pilot died when
his F-100 Super Sabre jet fighter crashed on the Nellis range during Red Flag exercises.
Sept. 2, 1977 -- Two Nellis airmen were killed when their
F-4E jet fighter crashed on the Nellis range near Indian Springs.
Sept. 6, 1977 -- A Marine Corps pilot flying a training
mission on the Nellis range was killed when his AV8 Harrier jet crashed near Indian Springs.
Nov. 16, 1977 -- A Nellis airman died when his CF-104
fighter jet crashed on the Nellis range about 40 miles southeast of Tonopah.
Dec. 6, 1977 -- The pilot and medical officer of an F-15
fighter were killed when their aircraft crashed near Nellis.
January, February 1978 -- Five people died and six others
were injured over a two-week period in a bizarre series of events. Two Nellis airmen were
killed when their O-2 Skymaster observation plane vanished southwest of Indian Springs shortly
after takeoff. A second O-2 crashed during a search for the first aircraft. The son of a Nellis
lieutenant colonel died after the crash of the private plane he and his father were using to
look for the O-2 craft. The lieutenant colonel, who was off-duty at the time, discovered the
wreckage of the first O-2 as he was hiking out of his own mountainous crash site to find help.
An Air Force UH1-N helicopter sent to help recover the first downed O-2 crashed several days
later, injuring five crewmen.
Feb. 17, 1978 -- Two crew members were killed when their
F-4E Phantom jet fighter-bomber crashed on the Nellis range, about 60 miles northwest of Indian
Springs. The crash occurred during the Red Flag exercises. Nellis officials said at the time 11
pilots and 14 aircraft had been lost during Red Flag.
April 12, 1979 -- Two fighter pilots stationed at Nellis
disappear during a training exercise over the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. After an
extensive search over a 32,000-square-mile area, the pilots were declared dead in May 1979.
September 1979 -- Two crewmen were killed when their
Strategic Air Command FB-111 fighter-bomber crashed in the Wilson Creek Range north of Pioche.
The plane went down shortly after Nellis controllers lost radar contact with it.
Feb. 7, 1980 -- A British Royal Air Force pilot and his
navigator were killed when their Buccaneer Mark 2-B jet crashed on the Nellis range about 20
miles north of Beatty. The airmen were participating in Red Flag exercises.
June 1980 -- An Air Force pilot died and his co-pilot was
injured when their F-4 Phantom jet crashed while making an emergency landing at Nellis Air
Force Base.
January 1981 -- Three airmen were killed when an F-15 Eagle
and an F-5E Tiger II collided during a mock aerial combat exercise on the Nellis range 20 miles
north of Moapa.
January 1981 -- An Air Force pilot was killed when his A-7D
Corsair II jet fighter crashed on the Nellis range about 45 miles north of Beatty. The aircraft
was on its way to Nellis Air Force Base for Red Flag exercises.
April 16, 1981 -- Two Air Force crewmen were killed when a
photo-reconnaissance aircraft crashed on the Nellis range. The craft was involved in an
exercise to identify targets for strikes.
July 1981 -- A Nellis pilot was killed when his A-10
Thunderbolt jet fighter went out of control and crashed near Nellis Air Force Base.
July 1981 -- Two airmen were killed 50 miles southeast of
Tonopah when their F-4G Wild Weasel jet crashed during Red Flag maneuvers.
Sept. 21, 1981 -- Two airmen were killed when their
twin-engine Cessna 414 aircraft crash-landed during a joint electronic warfare exercise near
Tonopah. The military leased the plane for the exercises, using it to support ground radar
equipment.
Sept. 21, 1981 -- Seven men were killed but 61 others
survived when a C-130 cargo plan crash-landed about one mile north of what was then Indian
Springs Air Force Base. The plane was participating in a joint Army-Air Force night training
mission.
Jan. 18, 1982 -- Four Thunderbird pilots died when their
T-38 Talon jets crashed at Indian Springs Auxiliary Airfield. Mechanical failure was cited as
the cause. Shortly after, the precision flying team began flying F-16 fighter jets. It was the
worst accident in the Thunderbirds' history. In all, 18 pilots and one crew member have died in
Thunderbird crashes.
March 1982 -- An Air Force F-4E fighter jet crashed in a
remote corner of the Nellis range, killing the two crew members. The aircraft was participating
in an air-to-ground gunnery mission during Red Flag exercises.
Oct. 21, 1982 -- A Nellis captain was killed when his jet
fighter crashed on the northern edge of the Nellis range.
Jan. 12, 1983 -- A Nellis pilot died when his F-16 jet
crashed on the Nellis range during a routine training mission.
April 1983 -- An Air Force pilot died when his A-10 attack
fighter crashed on the Nellis range.
April 1983 -- Seven crewmen from Robins Air Force Base in
Georgia were killed when their B-52 bomber slammed into the mountains near St. George, Utah.
The men were on their way to military exercises on the Nellis range.
August 1983 -- An Air Force pilot was killed during Red
Flag exercises on the Nellis range when his A-10 fighter jet crashed. The pilot was
participating in an air-to-ground gunnery training mission.
February 1984 -- A British fighter pilot was killed when
his jet crashed during a mock battle exercise on the Nellis range. A day later, an American
fighter pilot was killed when his A-7 jet crashed on the Nellis range. He was also
participating in the Red Flag maneuvers.
April 26, 1984 -- A three-star Air Force general died when
his secret test aircraft crashed on the Nevada Test Site in the Skull Mountain area near
Lathrop Wells. The general was believed to have been testing stealth technology.
Aug. 24, 1984 -- A Nellis pilot was killed when his F-5E
aircraft crashed during a routine training mission on the Nellis range.
September 1984 -- A Nellis airman was killed when his F-16
jet crashed on the northern end of the Nellis range.
December 1984 -- An Air Force pilot was killed when his A-7
jet fighter crashed during a routine training flight on the Nellis range.
Nov. 15, 1985 -- An Air Force captain was killed and two
airmen were injured when two F-16 fighter jets collided during low-level maneuvers on the
Nellis range.
May 21, 1986 -- One airman was killed and 21 others were
injured when an MH-53H transport helicopter crashed during a secret commando training mission
on the Nellis range.
July 24, 1987 -- Two pilots were killed when their F-16
fighter jets crashed on the Nellis range about 15 miles northeast of Indian Springs. Pilot
confusion was later determined to have caused the crash.
Oct. 14, 1987 -- A Nellis pilot died in the crash of an
F-117A stealth fighter jet on the Tonopah test range. At the time, the stealth was still a
top-secret test aircraft and military officials refused to confirm details about the crash.
March 25, 1988 -- The pilot of an A-10 Thunderbolt II was
killed when the fighter jet crashed near Black Mountain on the Nellis range. The crash occurred
during a weapons training flight.
Feb. 14, 1989 -- A Colorado Army National Guardsman was
killed when a Cobra AH-1S attack helicopter crashed near Indian Springs.
April 5,1989 -- Two Air Force fliers were killed when their
F-111 crashed about 60 miles southeast of Tonopah. The crash occurred during Red Flag military
exercises.
July 24, 1991 -- A nonmilitary helicopter searching the
Nevada Test Site for intruders during a nighttime mission struck a power line and crashed,
killing all five crew members. It was the worst accident in the test site's history.
Aug. 10, 1992 -- Two Nellis airmen were killed when their
F-15E fighter jet crashed about 80 miles northeast of Las Vegas in remote Lincoln County. The
jet was engaged in a simulated combat exercise with another aircraft when it spun into the
ground. An investigation was inconclusive.
Dec. 6, 1992 -- An Air National Guard pilot was killed when
his A-10 jet slammed into a hill near Blue Diamond. Poor weather conditions were blamed in the
crash, which scattered live ammunition on a hillside near state Route 160.
Aug. 10, 1993 -- A Nellis pilot was killed when his F-16
fighter jet crashed during a joint training mission on the Nellis range about 125 miles
northwest of Las Vegas.
April 22, 1993 -- A Navy pilot and bombardier were killed
when their A-6E Intruder jet collided with another plane and crashed on the Nellis range.
May 14, 1993 -- Two pilots were killed when an Air Force
F-4 jet crashed in the desert near state Route 160 in Pahrump. The pilots were on a routine
training mission for a Texas military contractor.
Nov. 8, 1993 -- A Nellis pilot was killed when his F-16 jet
crashed 35 miles west of Alamo on the Nellis range. The pilot was on a routine training
mission.