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39th year  -  N° 88                 Thursday, 28 March 2024         Antwerpen		
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Monday 18th of January 1982

42 years ago The Thunderbirds Hit the Ground



Four pilots from the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds Air Demonstration Team die in a crash while practicing a basic diamond formation with their Northrop T-38 Talon jets for a performance at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona in Air Force Auxiliary Field, Indian Springs, Nevada, United States.

The four pilots were 37-year old Major Norm Lowry, 31-year-old Captain Willie Mays, 32-year-old Captain Joseph 'Pete' Peterson and 31-year-old Captain Mark E. Melancon. Initial speculation was that the accident might have been due to pilot error, that the leader might have misjudged his altitude or speed and the other three pilots repeated the error. However, the Air Force concluded that the crash was due to a jammed stabilizer on the lead jet. The other pilots, in accordance with their training, did not break formation.


More info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1982_Thunderbirds_Indian_Springs_Diamond_Crash