The history of the Douglas A-4E Skyhawk BuNo 149996 is inextricably linked to the trajectory of its pilot, John S. McCain III, who would later emerge as a defining figure in American politics as a U.S. Senator and presidential candidate.
BuNo 149996 (c/n 13049) was manufactured at the Long Beach, California plant in 1963. Its service life commenced on 05/01/1963, upon delivery to the VA-83 “Rampagers” squadron. After deployments with various units, the aircraft was reassigned on 02/13/1967 to VA-46, the squadron with which it would meet its final fate aboard the aircraft carrier USS Forrestal.
Pilot Biography (Part I)
Born on 08/29/1936 at the Coco Solo Naval Air Station in the Panama Canal Zone, John Sidney McCain III was raised in a family with a distinguished naval tradition; both his grandfather and father served as Admirals in the U.S. Navy. His youth was defined by frequent relocation due to his father’s assignments at various bases across the U.S. and the Pacific. After graduating from the Episcopal High School in 1954, he entered the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, graduating in 1958.
McCain completed his naval pilot training at Pensacola in 1960. He initially qualified to fly the A-1 Skyraider, completing deployments to the Caribbean and the Mediterranean aboard the USS Intrepid and USS Enterprise. In 1965, he married, and at age 30, he was assigned to the USS Forrestal to conduct combat operations over Vietnam—a deployment that would see him become a key participant in one of the most tragic incidents in U.S. naval history.
Disaster on the Forrestal
On 07/29/1967, BuNo 149996 was stationed on the flight deck, pre-flighting for a mission. Nearby, an F-4B Phantom II (BuNo 153061, nose number AA110), loaded with LAU-10/A rocket pods on Triple Ejector Racks (TER), suffered an electrical malfunction. A power surge triggered the accidental launch of a Zuni rocket, which struck the external fuel tank of an A-4 Skyhawk (AA405) piloted by LCDR Fred White, parked in the row opposite the Phantom.
Although the rocket did not detonate on impact, it ruptured the fuel tank, drenching the flight deck in highly volatile JP-5 jet fuel. The A-4E flown by McCain, along with the aircraft of Lt (jg) David Dollarhide, were instantly engulfed in flames ignited by the F-4’s exhaust gases.
Faced with the unfolding catastrophe, McCain successfully egressed from his cockpit, attempting to assist other pilots despite the danger. Seconds later, a 1,000-pound bomb detonated on the deck, causing significant structural damage and allowing burning fuel to spill into the ship’s interior.
The ensuing conflagration raged for 12 hours. The final toll was devastating: 134 lives lost and numerous personnel wounded. CVW-1 suffered the loss of 21 aircraft, including BuNo 149996, while 34 other aircraft sustained severe damage. Damage control and firefighting teams worked heroically to save the vessel from total loss.
Variant
A-4E (1963)
Identity
BuNo 149996
Unit History:
- VA-83 “Rampagers”, NAS Oceana (05/01/1963)
- VA-43 “Challengers”, NAS Oceana (03/20/1964)
- VMA-324 “Vagabonds”, MCAS Beaufort (04/03/1964)
- H&MS-31 “Aggressors”, MCAS Beaufort (05/19/1966)
- VMA-331 “Bumblebees”, MCAS Beaufort (08/23/1966)
- VA-46 “Clansmen” (#AA416), USS Forrestal (02/13/1967)
Fate
The aircraft was destroyed by fire on the flight deck of the USS Forrestal (Task Force 77) in the Gulf of Tonkin, Vietnam, on 07/29/1967, following the accidental Zuni rocket discharge.
Acknowledgements: Special thanks to Javier Ruberto (“Perfiles en Detalle”) and Eric Salard for their vital contributions to this history. Sources: U.S. Navy, McCain Archives, Wikipedia, The Aviation Geek Club, Skyhawk Association.
