F-117A: Loss of #815

Title:
Page born: April 01 2002

Aircraft Losses

Major Michael C. Stewart (USAF)
Bandit #231 (May 1, 1987)
Killed October 14, 1987
F-117A #83-815
Cause: Spatial Disorientation

Major Michael C. Stewart was kiled when his F-117A #83-815 crashed on October 14, 1987, at 8:33 PM about 100 miles north of Nellis AFB, just east of Tonopah. Stewart was just 40 minutes into a routine single-ship sortie when his plane crashed into the gently sloping terrain 60 miles east of Alamo, Nevada. According to the crash report, BURNR (pronounced burner) 54's procedures and radio transmissions were normal. Visibility was clear, but there was no moon that night, and there were no lights out on the Nellis range to help the pilot to distinguish the ground. The report also states that BURNR 54 departed on "the planned heading of 273", but "the last radar plot of the aircraft shows...deviation from the planned track." The aircraft struck the earth "at a steep angle, digging a hole approximately six or seven feet" deep, and investigators came to the conclusion that Stewart "was commanding slightly nose up with a moderate left bank" at the time of impact.

The mission included certain special requirements that were deleted from the first unclassified page of the accident report. One mainstream media report at the time of the accident stated that the crash occurred "during exercises simulating combat in Europe." It is possible that Stewart was going supersonic when he crashed and that he had become disoriented during high-speed maneuvers and had simply flown his plane into the ground. Again, no apparent attempt was made to eject and spatial disorientation was the likely cause. Again, like Maj. Mulhare, Maj. Stewart was an experienced pilot. He also had limited time in the F-117A-76.7 hours. He had not passed the 100 hour mark. All three fatal crashes involved pilots with less than 100 hours of time flying the F-117A.

A Tribute to a fallen Bandit

There is a second tribute - a rock covered in a clear laquer with an engraved plate from either Mulhare's or Stewert's crash site. It was kept in the 416 TFS, later the 416 FS. at Tonopah Test Range. Rumor has it that it was located at Tonopah and not at the actual crash site because the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) wouldn't allow it to be put where the jet crashed. It is currently unknown which F-117A crash this rock was from. Rumor also has it that the rock is currently in the 9th FS headquarters at Holloman AFB. (The webmaster has not been able to confirm this information)

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