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| Date: | Tuesday 1 September 1964 |
| Time: | 16:06 |
| Type: |  North American RA-5C Vigilante |
| Owner/operator: | US Navy |
| Registration: | 151616 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | 8 miles northwest of NAS Sanford, FL -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Landing |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | NAS Sanford, FL |
| NAS Sanford, FL | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Little or no information is available |
Complete hydraulic failure just prior to landing.
25 minutes into a planned low-level photo mission over Georgia and South Carolina the hydraulic system caution light illuminated about 30 miles north of Jacksonville. The pilot turned back to Sanford. After 10 minutes both pump pressure indicators dropped to zero on the No. 2 hyd system. Ramp and yaw augmentation lights also illuminated. They also had an intermittent RAT, faulty airspeed indications and very weak UHF comms. The pilot was only able to contact Sanford tower when 40 miles north. He requested fly-in arresting gear on Runway 27 and an LSO (who came out in a bright yellow Jeep at the edge of the runway threshold) because of his airspeed indication errors. The Vigilante orbited the field and dumped fuel. Final approach was set up at 110 knots. Adding power the pilot noted all 4 hyd pressures were reading zero and the Ram Air Turbine and back up pump were not working. Just ¾ of a mile from the runway, the flight controls became immobile. The pilot was able to obtain 3,000’ and when over open country he ordered ejection. The aircraft crashed in an open field on Alexander Island and received strike damage. Both crew landed safe in a field of cattle.
There was oil impingement in the pump supply conditioning ducts and a cracked flapper diaphragm in an SLR servo valve possibly due to improper installation of the SLR disconnect. The Ram Air Turbine set screw was also found to have been mispositioned not allowing the venturi to operate properly.
This was the first safe Vigilante crew ejection and one of the few enlisted men to eject from a Navy aircraft.
The Bell/Pemberton team also made the first A-5 Vigilante barrier engagement on a carrier (prior to this crash – on USS Independence in 1962).
Crew was with RVAH-1
Pilot Lt Commander James F. Bell
Bombardier/Navigator CPO Colin C. Pemberton
151616 was carrying side number 602 and had been accepted by the Navy in July of 1964 and only had 12.4 total flight hours on the aircraft (10.1 hours since her Acceptance Check).
Sources:
http://www.forgottenjets.warbirdsresourcegroup.org/A-5.html
US Navy accident report
Location
Images:
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 06-Jun-2024 12:10 | ChrisB | Updated [Date, Time, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Location, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Category, Photo] |
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