F-14 Pilot’s Bid to Impress Parents Cited in Fatal Crash
An F-14 pilot was apparently showing off for his parents when his fighter jet crashed on takeoff Jan. 29, killing him and four other people, the Navy said Friday.
Lt. Cmdr. John Stacy Bates, 33, became disoriented after a rapid, steep takeoff from Nashville’s airport into a cloudy sky, said Rear Adm. Bernard Smith, who presented the results of a 2 1/2-month review.
Bates’ crew mate and three people on the ground died along with the pilot in the fiery crash.
Bates’ “judgment was influenced by his parents’ presence at the field and his desire to demonstrate other than a routine departure,” the report said.
It also said that two other airmen had asked not to fly with him because of problems in the past.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
