Investigation Summary
The incident occurred during a mock dogfight involving two F-15Ds and four A-4N Skyhawks. During high-speed maneuvering, F-15 #957 collided with an A-4, shearing the F-15's right wing off approximately 60cm (2ft) from the root. The A-4 pilot ejected safely as his aircraft disintegrated. In the F-15, pilot Zivi Nedivi and navigator Yehoar Gal initially could not see the extent of the damage due to a massive cloud of vaporizing fuel leaking from the wing root. Although Gal was the instructor, Nedivi was a student who outranked him in military standing; this hierarchy influenced the decision to stay with the aircraft despite Gal's order to eject. Nedivi found that by increasing speed and engaging afterburners, he could counteract the asymmetric lift and stop the aircraft's roll. This was possible because the F-15's wide fuselage acted as a lifting body, providing enough aerodynamic force to maintain flight at high velocities. Upon arrival at Ramon Airbase, Nedivi performed a high-speed landing at approximately 260 knots (300 mph), roughly double the standard landing speed. The aircraft's tailhook was torn off upon contact with the arrestor cable, but Nedivi managed to stop the jet just 20 feet from the end of the runway.
Final Conclusions
The investigation and subsequent analysis by McDonnell Douglas concluded that the F-15's survival was due to its unique lifting-body fuselage design and the pilot's decision to maintain high airspeed. The large surface area of the fuselage and the horizontal stabilators provided sufficient lift to compensate for the missing wing as long as the aircraft remained at high speed. The aircraft, named 'Markia Schakim', was later repaired with a new wing and returned to active service. It remained operational for over four decades, eventually participating in the Israeli retaliatory strikes against Iran on October 25-26, 2024.
Video Analysis
No video analysis linked for this case file yet.
Airframe & Maintenance
Israeli Air Force Baz 957 — McDonnell Douglas F-15D Eagle · 957
Systems & Failure Modes
Lifting Body Fuselage
The F-15's wide, flat fuselage generates a significant portion of the aircraft's total lift, which allowed it to stay airborne even after losing a primary lifting surface.
Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-220 Engines
The high thrust-to-weight ratio provided by the twin engines allowed the pilot to maintain the high speeds necessary to generate lift from the fuselage.
Tailhook / Arrestor Gear
The aircraft's emergency tailhook was deployed to catch a runway cable, but the excessive landing speed caused the hook to be torn completely off the airframe.
Interesting Facts
- 01The F-15 landed with only about 2 feet (60 cm) of its right wing remaining.
- 02The landing speed was approximately 260 knots, which is double the normal F-15 landing speed of 130 knots.
- 03McDonnell Douglas initially believed flying an F-15 without a wing was aerodynamically impossible until they saw photographic evidence.
- 04The aircraft involved, #957, was repaired and remained in service for over 40 years, participating in Operation Days of Repentance strikes against Iran on October 25-26, 2024.
- 05The pilot, Zivi Nedivi, stated he likely would have ejected if the fuel spray hadn't obscured his view of the missing wing.
Safety Actions & Advisories
Training Bubble Reinforcement
The incident highlighted the critical importance of maintaining a 'safety bubble' (typically 500 feet) during dissimilar air combat training to prevent collisions during high-G maneuvers.