"My Pilot Can't See"

Tomcat Radome Smashes Into the Pilot's Canopy. 1991, F-14 incident in the Persian Gulf.

In November 1991, while flying from the USS Eisenhower (CVN 69) in the Persian Gulf, a VF-142 F-14B lost its Radome when the latching mechanism failed as the airplane was executing a supersonic dash. The Radome hit the forward half of the canopy and shattered the front cockpit windscreen, breaking the pilot's right collarbone and partially blinding him, especially in his right eye that was badly cut

According to the site HOME OF M.A.T.S., during the departure, the radome came in contact with the canopy and broke out the forward glass and shattered the windscreen.

The pilot, LCDR Joe "Reb" Edwards, ably assisted by his RIO, LCDR Scott "Grundy" Grundmeier, showed amazing professionalism and airmanship by bringing the jet aboard the ship for an "OK 3-wire" landing in spite of the fact that he was injured, his forward visibility was severely restricted, and he couldn't communicate because his mask had been damaged by the impact of the radome. After landing, LCDR Edwards was medevac'd to Bahrain for eye surgery.

VF-142 was assigned to Carrier Air Wing 7 (CVW-7) aboard the Eisenhower for a deployment to the Mediterranean Sea from Sep. 26, 1991 to Apr. 2, 1992.

The F-14B 161433 was returned to service and finally retired on Mar. 11, 2005.

info gathered by - Exeter#3926 from defence matrix discord