이스라엘 공군은 1983년 네게브 사막에서 F-15D 두 대와 A-4N 스카이호크 4대를 동원 모의 공중전 훈련을 실시했다. 훈련 도중 F-15D와 A-4N이 충돌했다.

이 사고로 F-15D는 오른쪽 날개가 완전히 파괴됐고, A-4N은 폭발해 조종사가 탈출했다. 사고 당시 F-15D는 균형을 잃고 조종불능 상태에 빠졌다.

그러나 이스라엘 조종사는 기지를 발휘, 기체 전자제어를 통해 날개가 없는 상태에서 수평비행을 회복했다. F-15D 조종사는 기지로 무사히 귀환했다.

조종사는 기체 날개가 완전히 떨어져 나간 것을 기지로 귀환한 후에야 확인했다고 한다.

김필재 조갑제닷컴 기자 spooner1@hanmail.net

“The most outstanding Eagle save was by a pilot from a foreign Air Force”

During air combat training his two-seater F-15 was involved in a mid air collision with an A-4 Skyhawk.

The A-4 crashed, and the Eagle lost its right wing from about 2 ft. outboard. After some confusion between the instructor who said eject, and the student who outranked his instructor and said no, the F-15 was landed at it's desert base.

Touching down at 290 knots, the hook was dropped for an approach end engagement. This slowed the F-15 to 100 knots, when the hook weak link sheared, and the aircraft was then braked conventionally.

It is said that the student was later demoted for disobeying his instructor, then promoted for saving the aircraft.

McDonnell Douglas attributes the saving of this aircraft to the amount of lift generated by the engine intake/body and "a hell of a good pilot".