General Dynamics F-111E 68-0081 of the 20th Tactical Fighter Wing, USAF, crashed near Shap on the 5th March 1975

 

Richard A. Wolf Major Pilot Survived
J. K. Miller Major Weapon Systems Officer Survived

 

The two crew were on a low level exercise from RAF Upper Heyford in Oxfordshire when the aircraft struck a bird, this shattered a section of the windshield and caused other damage to the aircraft. As a result of the damage the crew abandoned the aircraft by way of the escape capsule. The jet flew on for a short way before crashing on a open area of hill where it was completely destroyed.

Crater at the crash site of General Dynamics F-111E 68-0081 near Shap, Cumbria
The crash site is marked by a large crater which has partly grassed over but contains obvious pieces of wreckage.
On the day that we visited the site we also located a large piece of the undercarriage a short way down the hill.
Image Copyright: Mark Sheldon