crash of a F-104G north of Kandel, Germany
 

Hi all,

do someone maybe know something about the crash of an F-104G, a couple of miles northwestern of the german little town of KANDEL, (10miles western of Karlsruhe).

I found a part on the fields there, little plate, with on it:

AIRCRAFT MOD : F-104G
MFR CODE
PART NR: 786981 -800
SERIAL NO: 479.81
CONT INSP CUST INSP
MODIFICATION INCORPORATED

Any information (unit, pilot, date and circumstances of crash etc...) would be very appreciated!

Thanks for helping

Mathias

Re: crash of a F-104G north of Kandel, Germany
 

Re: crash of a F-104G north of Kandel, Germany
 

Thanks Revi16,

Hubert Putzmeier (attached webpage)has answered me kindly, ...and found no crash in that area!

But I found a part there in teh fields!!!!

Mystery stays still open...

Thanks for your kind help,

Mathias

Re: crash of a F-104G north of Kandel, Germany
 

Matthias,

Browsing thru online archived Dutch newspapers I found an article of 18-5-1966 referring to a West German F-104G crash "near Karlsruhe yesterday", so on or at least about 17-5-1966. Pilot had ejected safely, the newspaper says. No real further details.

On the list there is a runway accident at RAF Gütersloh on 17-5-1966 that doesn't quite match the above crash, but I'm sure the newspaper hasn't made the story up for fun.

Please note that the Dutch, Belgian and Canadian (and perhaps more) air forces have lost Starfighters in West-Germany too.

Regards,

Leendert

Re: crash of a F-104G north of Kandel, Germany
 

Matthias,

I now read in another (Dutch) newspaper article which refers to the 17-5-1966 crash, that the F-104G came down near Leonberg along the Pforzheim-Stuttgart road.
Not really near Karlsruhe anymore.....

Regards,

Leendert

Re: crash of a F-104G north of Kandel, Germany
 

Thanks Leendert,

I had found one just eastern of Karlsruhe to on the crahsites /accidents lists, but it isn't mine...

Possibel the part just came "down from the sky" after a mid-air collsion, or ...was found on another place by a village kid???... and thrown away in that field?

Any idea what that part should be?

I saw just that single part in the fields after having searched about 10 hours long on the "perfect" winter surface! seems there is maybe no exploded plane on that field...(?)

Thansk for helping!

Mathias

Re: crash of a F-104G north of Kandel, Germany
 

Matthias,

Because 17.05.1966 isn't among the Luftwaffe F-104 write offs, I did some further digging.
It appears that the press reports were quite off mark. The crash involved a USAFE F-102A Delta Dagger (56-1090) of the Hahn AB based 496th FIS. Location was 5 miles from Pforzheim.

Perhaps F-104 crashes had become so common that a further jet crash was automatically thought to be another one of the type...

Grüss,

Leendert

Re: crash of a F-104G north of Kandel, Germany
 

Leendert, no !

By researching accidents of Bitburg and Spangdahlem a/c of the 1950/60ies, I found out, that the press and other non-military involved were very quick aware, which a/c type and to which nation the accident should be blamed.

Well, in 1966, there was a hyper-reaction to the losses of F-104 in Germany by the press, but automaticcally thinking a military a/c crash in Germany must be an F-104 is too far.

Beste Grüsse !

Horst Weber

Re: crash of a F-104G north of Kandel, Germany
 

thansk guys,

I wonder if I will ever find other F-104G parts in that area...just one part in a field is something vey curious...

Thanks for your help,

Mathias