Tomcat tail fin washes up on Irish shores

US Navy jet tail fin washes up on Irish shores
Sunday, May 07, 2006

A tail fin from an F-14 Tomcat belonging to VF-101 Grim Reapers was washed up ashore on a beach in Ireland on Friday.

The tail fin was found on a beach in west Cork by a retired Aer Lingus pilot.

The Irish Aviation Authority sealed off the scene and handed the investigation over to the Air Navigation Investigation Unit.

A Pentagon spokesman said that they were not aware of any missing tail fins.

A tail fin from an F-14 Tomcat belonging to VF-101 Grim Reapers was washed up ashore on a beach in Ireland on Friday.

A Pentagon spokesman said that they were not aware of any missing tail fins.

???

I'd hope a serial # search could shed some light on the situation. If F-14 tail fins have serial #s that is...

In the USAF we would normally find something like that was missing during BPO....

current theory is its from a vf-101 bird lost off the east coast just before they retired their F-14s and the gulf stream has brought it across.

Andy

In the USAF we would normally find something like that was missing during BPO....

So, you're sayin' in the USAF "Missing vertical stabilizer" would count as "Code 3"? Sheesh! AF guys are SO picky!

In the USAF we would normally find something like that was missing during BPO....

So, you're sayin' in the USAF "Missing vertical stabilizer" would count as "Code 3"? Sheesh! AF guys are SO picky!

On a Viper yes. But on a 15 no - it's just a Code 2. Gotta spare you know. In fact the IAF decided one wing missing on a 15 was just a Code 2.

Article: http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/st ... 82&tref=po

A tail section from an F-14 Tomcat discovered on a beach in Ireland came from an Oceana-based plane that crashed 3½ years ago off Key West, Fla., the Navy confirmed Tuesday.

How it got at least 4,900 miles away, no one knows for certain.

[...]

Quote from F-14 specialist David Brown on the Fencecheck forum:

"This F-14A was assigned to VF-101 on October 3rd 2002 when it crashed during a training flight over the Gulf of Mexico. The crew were rescued by a Navy UH-3 Sea King helicopter.

I guess the currents took it to Ireland. Hard to believe since these things weigh about 300 lbs."

That may be why it took 3 1/2 years. They probably won't want it back. You can't move at Oceana, especially in the O Club, for Tomcat fins.

Aviation experts believe last summer's hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico may have wrenched the debris from the aircraft and cast it into the Atlantic ocean.

Well, if anything, it should be a nice collectible.

As long as the crew made it out alive.