RF-4C Phantom Jet Crash on Holston Mountain, TN
Posted by: 
vhasler
N 36° 26.848 W 082° 06.788
17S E 400244 N 4034156
A supersonic RF-4C "Phantom" crashed into Holston Mountain on Friday October 1st, 1976
Waymark Code: WM75MZ
Location: Tennessee, United States
Date Posted: 09/05/2009
Views: 200
From the October 4th, 1976 Elizabethton newspaper, we learn "Two German Air Force officers were killed instantly when the US Air Force reconnaisance jet they were flying crashed into Holston Mountain near here, authorities said. The wreakage was located early Saturday morning just over the the Carter County line where it had broken up badly on impact and was strewn over a wide area. Authorities said the supersonic jet, an RF-4C, also known as a Phantom, was manufactured only recently and carrying highly sophisticated radar and photographic systems in its nose. The jet was said to be on a routine low-level flight from Shaw Air Force Base in Sumter, SC when it disappeared from the Air Force radar around 4PM in the vicinity of Holston Mountain."
Geocache "Phantom in the forest" brings you to the actual crash site where an engine was left to mark the spot.
There is monument along Panhandle Road (at N36°26.793 W82°07.026) in memory of the two pilots, First Lt. Kurt Schnurer (24) and Cadet Werner Michelberger (26), killed in the crash.
The location is reached off Highway TN91 via a steep ten mile drive up Panhandle Road, which is a combination of gravel and asphalt.
Web Address for Related Web Sites: [Web Link]
Date of Crash: 10/01/1976
Aircraft Model: RF-4C “Phantom”
Military or Civilian: Military
Cause of Crash:
pilot error?
Tail Number: Not listed
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