The 1964 Machida F-8 crash (町田米軍機墜落事故, lit. "Machida American Military Aircraft Crash") occurred on 5 April 1964 in Machida, Tokyo, Japan. A United States Marine Corps Vought RF-8A Crusader, BuNo 146891,[1] which was returning as one half of a two-plane flight of Crusaders from Kadena Air Base, Okinawa to its home base of Naval Air Facility Atsugi, Kanagawa Prefecture, suffered a mechanical malfunction. It subsequently crashed into a residential neighborhood in the Hara-Machida area of Machida City (near present-day JR Machida Station) in Tokyo, Japan. The other aircraft landed safely at Atsugi.
Three U.S. Marine Corps Vought F8U-2 (F-8C) Crusaders on the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Forrestal (CVA-59), ca. 1960.
| |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | April 5, 1964 |
| Summary | Mechanical failure |
| Site | Machida, Tokyo, Japan |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Vought RF-8A Crusader |
| Operator | United States Marine Corps |
| Registration | 146891 |
| Flight origin | Kadena Air Base, Okinawa |
| Destination | Naval Air Facility Atsugi, Kanagawa Prefecture |
| Passengers | 0 |
| Crew | 1 (survived) |
| Fatalities | 4 (on ground) |
| Injuries | 32 (on ground) |
The crash killed four people and injured 32 others on the ground. The stricken aircraft's pilot, Captain R. L. Bown of Seattle, Washington, successfully ejected at 5,000 feet and landed on a car, suffering minor bruises. The accident destroyed seven houses. Three of the four fatalities were caused by debris from the collapsed houses, and the fourth was from pieces of the destroyed aircraft.
Japanese media questioned why Bown was not able to steer the aircraft away from the residential area before ejecting.
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