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Originally Posted by Sailor Steve
Well, we can start with the infamous downward ejection seat, which was replaced, but not before it had killed 21 pilots. Add to that the problem of a series of automatic engine shutdowns on takeoff. Then came more engine problems, along with the shimmy problem with the front wheel cause the plane to lose control on landing.
These are all problems that could affect any new aircraft, but the fact is that the F-104 had by far the highest accident rate of any Century-Series aircraft. Even with the problems solved the plane was difficult to fly and difficult to land. On the other hand several pilots have said it was their favorite.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockhe...04_Starfighter |
I remember watching a interview with Kelly Johnson quite some time ago, late 70's perhaps, and he was asked about the widow maker reputation of the F-104. You could tell he was a bit miffed and he said a big part of the reason for it was the fact that this interceptor was pressed into roles it wasn't designed for. I found this site that lists all F-104 crashes but won't have time for awhile to look through it for awhile. Could be some truth to what he says but there's no denying it had design issues.
https://www.google.ca/webhp?sourceid...-104%20crashes