{"id":30357844,"date":"2026-10-30T18:29:29","date_gmt":"2026-10-30T17:29:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/?p=30357844"},"modified":"2026-10-30T18:29:41","modified_gmt":"2026-10-30T17:29:41","slug":"kc-135-towed-f-4-phantom-gander-1983-mackay-trophy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/kc-135-towed-f-4-phantom-gander-1983-mackay-trophy\/","title":{"rendered":"The KC-135 That Towed a Dying F-4 Phantom to Gander"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.et_pb_title_container h1.entry-title { padding-top: 40px !important; }<\/style>\n<!-- mfsh:top -->\n\n<style>\n.mfsh-trigger{display:inline-flex;align-items:center;gap:10px;height:44px;padding:0 18px;margin:0 0 26px;border:2px solid #0F1720;background:#fff;color:#0F1720;font-family:inherit;font-size:14px;font-weight:700;line-height:1;letter-spacing:0;text-transform:none;cursor:pointer;box-shadow:none;transition:background .15s,color 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Halfway over, Major Jon &ldquo;Ghost&rdquo; Alexander&rsquo;s Phantom began losing oil. What followed was one of the most remarkable feats of air refuelling ever flown: a tanker crew that kept a sinking fighter in the air by hooking on to it and pulling it towards land.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"background:#f5f5f5;border-left:4px solid #1a1a1a;padding:18px 22px;margin:24px 0\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:600\">Quick Facts<\/p><ul style=\"margin:0;padding-left:20px\"><li><strong>Date:<\/strong> 5 September 1983<\/li><li><strong>Fighter:<\/strong> McDonnell Douglas F-4E Phantom II, pilot Maj. Jon Alexander, WSO Dan Silvis<\/li><li><strong>Tanker:<\/strong> Boeing KC-135A, 42nd Air Refueling Squadron, Loring Air Force Base, Maine<\/li><li><strong>Tanker crew:<\/strong> Capt. Robert J. Goodman, Capt. Michael F. Clover, 1st Lt. Karol F. Wojcikowski, SSgt. Douglas D. Simmons<\/li><li><strong>Diversion:<\/strong> Gander, Newfoundland, about 520 miles away<\/li><li><strong>Hook-ups:<\/strong> Four continuous refuellings, with the tanker towing the fighter on its boom<\/li><li><strong>Award:<\/strong> Mackay Trophy for the most meritorious Air Force flight of 1983<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Oil, Heat and Hydraulics<\/h2>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Another pilot in the formation spotted oil streaming from Alexander&rsquo;s aircraft. A cracked oil line, according to the Bangor Daily News, cost the No. 2 engine most of its thrust; the No. 1 engine began to overheat, and the starboard hydraulic system failed. Alexander jettisoned his external fuel tanks, but the heavy fighter could not hold altitude or speed. Gander, the nearest runway, was about 520 miles away.<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Lower and Slower<\/h2>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Captain Robert Goodman&rsquo;s KC-135 crew from Loring took on the problem. A tanker normally refuels fighters at around 300 knots and well above 20,000 feet. The crippled Phantom could barely hold 190 knots. Goodman&rsquo;s crew lowered flaps and pulled back the power to slow the big jet down to the fighter&rsquo;s speed, and followed it down towards the ocean, at one point to around 1,400 feet. Boom operator Staff Sergeant Douglas Simmons repeatedly put the boom into the Phantom&rsquo;s receptacle as the fighter fell off and was caught again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/10\/kc-135a-stratotanker-loring-air-force-base.png\" alt=\"KC-135A Stratotanker at Loring Air Force Base, Maine\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">A KC-135A of Loring&rsquo;s 42nd Bombardment Wing, the base Goodman&rsquo;s crew flew from. Photo: Loring AFB Photographic Lab, USAF, public domain.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With the boom connected, the tanker did more than pass fuel. The Air Force Historical Foundation describes the mission as an escort and tow of the F-4 to Gander through four continuous refuellings: with the boom latched, the KC-135 effectively pulled the fighter along and helped it climb. As the coast approached, Alexander&rsquo;s overheated engine had recovered enough for him to disconnect and land at Gander safely with his weapons systems officer.<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">The Mackay Trophy<\/h2>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Goodman&rsquo;s crew received the Mackay Trophy, awarded for the most meritorious flight of the year in the US Air Force, for 1983. Alexander later wrote that he received the Kolligian Trophy, the Air Force&rsquo;s award for outstanding airmanship in averting a mishap, shortly afterwards. It was not the first time a KC-135 crew had kept a crippled jet in the air on the end of its boom; we tell another such story in <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/kc-135-towed-f-111-vietnam-locked-toggles-hickman\/\">The KC-135 That Towed a Crippled F-111 Out of North Vietnam<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">What the Popular Version Gets Right<\/h2>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The story as it is usually told is accurate: the date, the F-4 Phantoms crossing to Germany, the oil leak and engine and hydraulic failures, Gander about 520 miles away, the Loring KC-135 crew and their names, the tanker slowing to the fighter&rsquo;s speed and following it down, the repeated hook-ups and the tow on the boom, the safe landing and the Mackay Trophy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Sources: Air Force Historical Foundation, &ldquo;September 5, 1983&rdquo;; Aircrew Remembered, Jon Alexander, citing the Bangor Daily News; Sierra Hotel Aeronautics, &ldquo;The Day a USAF KC-135 Crew Saved an F-4 Phantom by Dragging it Home&rdquo;; Airman magazine, &ldquo;Hell or High Water&rdquo; (August 1984).<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<!-- mfsh:bottom -->\n\n<button type=\"button\" class=\"mfsh-trigger mfsh-bottom\" data-mfsh-placement=\"bottom\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><svg><use href=\"#mfsh-i-share\"\/><\/svg>Share this story<\/button>\n\n<!-- \/mfsh:bottom -->\n\n\n<style>.mfq{margin:34px 0 8px}.mfq h2{font:26px\/1.3 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117;padding-top:22px;margin:0 0 6px}.mfq .qa details{border-top:1px solid #5C91FF;margin:0;padding:0}.mfq .qa details:last-of-type{border-bottom:1px solid #e2e7ee}.mfq .qa summary{cursor:pointer;list-style:none;display:flex;justify-content:space-between;align-items:center;gap:16px;padding:22px 26px;font:18px\/1.7 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117}.mfq .qa summary::-webkit-details-marker{display:none}.mfq .qa summary::after{content:\"+\";font:24px Helvetica,sans-serif;color:#3568e0;flex:0 0 auto}.mfq .qa details[open] summary::after{content:\"\\2013\"}.mfq .qa details:hover summary{color:#3568e0}.mfq .qa .a{font:16px\/1.7 \"Gilroy regular\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#454e5e;padding:0 26px 24px}.mfq .qa .a a{color:#3568e0}@media(max-width:680px){.mfq .qa summary{padding:18px 14px;font-size:17px}.mfq .qa .a{padding:0 14px 20px}}<\/style>\n\n\n<section class=\"mfq\"><h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2><div class=\"qa\"><details open><summary>Did a KC-135 really tow an F-4 Phantom?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Yes. On 5 September 1983 a KC-135A crew from Loring Air Force Base hooked onto a crippled F-4E over the Atlantic and, with the refuelling boom connected through four continuous refuellings, helped pull it to Gander, Newfoundland. The Air Force Historical Foundation describes it as an escort and tow.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>What went wrong with the F-4 in 1983?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Maj. Jon Alexander&rsquo;s F-4E lost oil from a cracked line, so one engine lost most of its thrust and the other overheated, and the starboard hydraulics failed. He jettisoned his external tanks but could not hold altitude or speed.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Who was the KC-135 crew that saved the F-4?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The KC-135A crew from Loring Air Force Base, Maine, were Capt. Robert J. Goodman, Capt. Michael F. Clover, 1st Lt. Karol F. Wojcikowski and boom operator SSgt. Douglas D. Simmons.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>What award did the KC-135 crew receive?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The KC-135 crew received the Mackay Trophy for the most meritorious US Air Force flight of 1983.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>How slow did the KC-135 have to fly?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The crippled F-4 could barely hold about 190 knots, far below a normal refuelling speed, so the KC-135 crew lowered flaps and reduced power to match it, and followed it down to as low as about 1,400 feet above the ocean.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Where did the F-4 land?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The F-4E landed safely at Gander, Newfoundland, about 520 miles from where the emergency began, after Maj. Jon Alexander disconnected from the tanker near the coast.<\/div><\/details><\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Did a KC-135 really tow an F-4 Phantom?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Yes. On 5 September 1983 a KC-135A crew from Loring Air Force Base hooked onto a crippled F-4E over the Atlantic and, with the refuelling boom connected through four continuous refuellings, helped pull it to Gander, Newfoundland. The Air Force Historical Foundation describes it as an escort and tow.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What went wrong with the F-4 in 1983?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Maj. Jon Alexander\u2019s F-4E lost oil from a cracked line, so one engine lost most of its thrust and the other overheated, and the starboard hydraulics failed. He jettisoned his external tanks but could not hold altitude or speed.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Who was the KC-135 crew that saved the F-4?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The KC-135A crew from Loring Air Force Base, Maine, were Capt. Robert J. Goodman, Capt. Michael F. Clover, 1st Lt. Karol F. Wojcikowski and boom operator SSgt. Douglas D. Simmons.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What award did the KC-135 crew receive?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The KC-135 crew received the Mackay Trophy for the most meritorious US Air Force flight of 1983.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"How slow did the KC-135 have to fly?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The crippled F-4 could barely hold about 190 knots, far below a normal refuelling speed, so the KC-135 crew lowered flaps and reduced power to match it, and followed it down to as low as about 1,400 feet above the ocean.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Where did the F-4 land?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The F-4E landed safely at Gander, Newfoundland, about 520 miles from where the emergency began, after Maj. Jon Alexander disconnected from the tanker near the coast.\"}}]}<\/script><div style=\"background:#f0f4ff;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:16px 20px;margin:32px 0 8px\">\n<p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:600;color:#333\">Related Posts<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/kc-135-towed-f-111-vietnam-locked-toggles-hickman\/\">The KC-135 That Towed a Crippled F-111 Out of North Vietnam<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Halfway across the Atlantic in September 1983, an F-4E Phantom lost an engine, overheated the other and lost hydraulics. A KC-135 crew from Loring slowed to the fighter&rsquo;s speed, chased it down towards the sea and towed it to Gander on their refuelling boom.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":30357574,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[666],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30357844","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-history-and-legends"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>KC-135 Towed a Dying F-4 to Gander, 1983 | MiGFlug<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"On 5 September 1983 a crippled F-4E was sinking over the Atlantic. 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