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Grumman’s F–14 cracked up Wednesday morning on approach to runway 32, Calverton, with the two pilots bailing out at low altitude. Immediately after the crash, Riverhead and Suffolk County police were summoned along with the Manorville Fire Department and huge security ring went into effect while officials from Grumman and the Navy inspected the area and laid preliminary plans to determine exact causes. The experimental aircraft, designed and built by the Grumman Aerospace Corporation, crashed in a wooded area, approximately one mile short of the landing strip, just outside of the Calverton airfield. The pilot, William Miller, and Mission Control Officer Robert Smyth both escaped injury by ejecting from the plane at the altitude of 300 feet immediately before impact. The flight was approximately 33 minutes in process before the 10:46 am crash. Plane a Total Loss The plane, a total loss, is a preproduction model which is being built by Grumman as part of a $208 million contract with the Navy. Official name of the plane is Air Superiority Fighter System with the code name: Tomcat. Preliminary reports indicate a failure of the hydraulic system. Miller is said to have experienced difficulty with the craft 23 minutes into the flight. He was out over the water about 30 miles away from the field at an altitude of 14,000 feet when the plane began to oscillate and control became impossible. Miller switched to an auxiliary hydraulic system, which also failed. At this point he was quoted as telling ground control “can’t hold it” and proceeded with preparations to bail out. Officials were quick to point out that the system failure was not a serious threat to the eventual production of the plane. The investigation will be made by various methods, among them a thorough debriefing of the two men in the plane. Other methods will be to inspect the complete wreckage; film tapes made of the flight from ground positions and instrument readings that were telemetered to the ground throughout the flight. This plane is the first of a series of 12 preproduction aircraft designed solely for testing purposes. The cost of the 12 is not included in the government contract although the Navy does pay for their development. The second in the series is presently under construction at Grumman and was to have been completed within two months. Delays are anticipated, during which time final decisions will be made as [to] the cause of Wednesday’s crash. The F-14 is classified as a variable geometry wing, commonly known as the wing sweep design. It is a carrier-based plane which is able to obtain speeds of Mach 2. The similarities between this craft and the ill-fated TFX–111 are only in general design. The F-14 is built to be much faster and lighter. In answer to a question on preflight plan, Steve Kenekes, assistant to vice president of public affairs, said the plane is generally flown over water. As to costs, “no way to tell.” Pilot William Miller, 36, attended Annapolis and was graduated from the Navy Test Pilot’s School. A Navy test pilot, he has been employed by Grumman since 1967 and lives in Setauket, father of three sons. Robert Smyth, 43, has a similar background and has been in the employ of Grumman since ‘55. The father of two sons, he is a resident of St. James.
This issue of The News-Review was dated Thursday, Dec. 31, 1970, but was delivered to newsstands the evening before, on Wednesday, Dec. 30. The entire run quickly sold out before other New York metropolitan newspapers compiled and printed their reports.