Dean Martin Jr: Why is the Air Force hiding the accident report?

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On March 21st, 1987, Captain Dean Martin Junior - a fighter pilot in the California Air National Guard, and the son of legendary singer, Dean Martin, was killed instantly when he flew an F-4 Phantom II fighter jet into the side of Mount San Gorgonio, just seven minutes after takeoff. Martin's aircraft, which was on a training flight with two other aircraft, disintegrated after it hit Mount San Gorgonino, at 400 miles per hour. Captain Ramon Ortiz, his weapons control officer, was also killed in the accident. But what if this wasn't an accident. Could there have been an electronic, or mechanical malfunction? And what about the confused directions provided by air traffic control? But most importantly, why hasn't the U.S. Air Force released the official accident report?
F-4 Phantom footage acquired from AirShowStuff: / @airshowstuffvideos
Digital Combat Simulation footage acquired from Growling Sidewinder: / @growlingsidewinder
Fantastic F-4 flight simulation obtained from Heatblur Simulations: / @heatblursimulations

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29 сен 2024

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Комментарии : 41

@flatworm00 Год назад

I knew both the pilot and the WSO. Both highly experienced, seasoned flyers. There is more to this story than what is being told. So sad.

@airsearch9192 Год назад

Dear Flatworm. I very much appreciate your comment. My first episode on Dean Paul Martin didn't get into the rumors about his divorce, etc., but I was familiar with them. In this episode I learned what I could about the radio transcripts (not from the official accident report but from the L.A. Times), and came away thinking that the ATC was stressed out, and overwhelmed by the multiple "levels" of aircraft flying in the San Gorgonio Pass - which by the way is notorious for wild weather, and dozens of fatal air wrecks. I have seen the ATC get a pass in other fatal crashes, for instance Frank Sinatra's mother, whose pilot waited and waited for clearance to Las Vegas, then eventually slammed into the mountain.

@tomsherwood4650 Год назад

The fighter had a radar that ought to have painted the terrain ahead if it was being utilized regardless of visibility. So the other jets avoided the terrain and so it is difficult to tell. If the plane hit like that, there would not be much evidence left to analyze the aircraft.

@airsearch9192 Год назад

Thanks Tom. Two years ago my friend and I tried to get back up in there, but the Morongo Tribe denied our access. The impact site is a nearly vertical rock wall at 5,368' elevation. The disruption on the surface is still visible, to this day: 34.010717, -116.843017

@airsearch9192 4 месяца назад

In fact Dean Martin Jr's F-4 impacted at about 400 mph. I heard reports that the aircraft parts were widely distributed.

@Littlebigbot Месяц назад

@airsearch9192 I've read multiple reports that say the plane was flying at 540 mph when it hit the mountain. Not sure what to believe.

@dethray1000 Год назад

his dad Dean never recovered from the loss of his son--he went downhill after the loss

@airsearch9192 Год назад

Everybody here in Palm Springs was very unhappy. My Italian friend Dino waited at Dean Martin's favorite restaurant, in Beverly Hills. Then he expressed his sympathies in person. He said Dean was very respectful.

@sd906238 Год назад

His father, Dean Martin was a true gentleman and a class act.

@richardkeilig4062 2 месяца назад

The loss of his son was devastating. It is no fun at any child's age. I know. They are together now in a better place. His sons service to the US, along with his copilot, is appreciated.

@Littlebigbot Месяц назад

You could see it in his face. The light stopped shining.

@petrak2257 5 месяцев назад

I still remember when I found out about Dino's tragic death and I was completely shocked. Shortly after Dino's tragic death, the series "Misfits of Science" with him ran very successfully here in Germany. Unfortunately, he was no longer able to experience this success. R.I.P Dean Paul Martin 🖤🙏

@airsearch9192 4 месяца назад

Thank you. I appreciate your comments, which are an important part of this story. Best wishes to you

@travishopkinson6969 5 месяцев назад

Saw this after seeing a post of james wood about his friend dean paul martin.. then went to a report about supposed Ontario controller franticly giving instructions. I would blame the controllers Not letting them go above the 12k ceiling

@airsearch9192 5 месяцев назад

Thanks Travis. The FAA really let the controller off easy. But I've heard that controllers have one of the most stressful jobs in the world, and that they're in short supply here. On the other hand both of the other F-4 Phantoms received the same instructions, and survived.

@robertjones8598 25 дней назад

How many flight hours did he have? This said he been flying for something like 19 years, but how many hours annually and how many in the F-4? That’s a lot of airplane that can get ahead of a pilot quickly. JFK jr had something like 300 hours over 16 years it took him to finally get his PPL. He was a dabbler and in way over his head. Dino seemed like a nice guy with a lot of talent, but experience could have played the big role here. I suspect some strings were pulled to get Dino that coveted Phantom seat. I would think an exemption would also have been needed to go into flight training at his age. It’s a recipe for disaster.

@airsearch9192 24 дня назад

Thanks Robert. Those are very good questions and valuable comments. Funny note, I was stuck at March AFB in 1983 for one entire summer (without a car). Late one night I walked out onto the flightline and climbed up into the cockpit of an F-4. Oh my gosh, it was so cramped and you couldn't see ANYTHING in front of the aircraft, due to the instrumentation piled up in front of you. I could never have flown something like that.

@fuzzybutkus8970 3 месяца назад

Talk about an unlucky Mtn. Didn’t Sinatras mom die on the same Mtn.??

@airsearch9192 3 месяца назад

Yessir, it's the San Bernardino Mountains - one of the most dangerous ranges in the US

@anselmdanker9519 Год назад

I remember reading in the papers about this, very sad for his family.

@airsearch9192 Год назад

Thanks for your note. Everybody was very upset here in the Palm Springs area too. Very much like the day that Frank Sinatra's mother died, when her Learjet hit the same mountain.

@AlanToon-fy4hg 5 дней назад

Didn't the F-4 hit inverted? There was speculation about instrument failure at the time.

@ronammologist16 Год назад

I remember the day well. We lived in Paris, Ca. In the flight path for March.

@airsearch9192 Год назад

Thanks Ron. I was based at March, but only from 1980 - 84. Seach & Rescue squadron.

@jacksonlee3771 Год назад

A traumatic dive? Why dive? No conspiracy

@richardkeilig4062 2 месяца назад

A very sad incident. RIP Capt Martin and Captain Ortiz.

@markkemp7608 Год назад

What if, what if, what if?

@Nathan-ct8tt Год назад

Promo-SM

@williamdavis7432 Год назад

If, after all this time, an official accident report remains pending, have reasons been given for such an unusual (maybe extraordinary) delay? March AFB has been around a long time, & Ontario International handles a whole lot of sophisticated traffic going & coming from every which way. On the face of it, it would seem that the local geography (& terrain caveats) must have been well-known to practically anyone taking to the sky. (Perhaps balanced against all this, though, is that errors & oversights tend to keep recurring, no matter how seemingly routine the circumstances.) Thank you for this interesting video!

@airsearch9192 Год назад

Thanks William. The official accident report would contain the transcript from all of the radio communications. It's my opinion that it might show an exchange that made air traffic control look bad. I saw that happen when Frank Sinatra's mother was killed. Her Learjet pilot was waiting for a clearance to Las Vegas. It never came, and he flew straight into the same mountain as Dean Martin, Jr.

@williamdavis7432 Год назад

@@airsearch9192 Many thanks! (Dean Martin, Jr., was an experienced pilot (including under instrument conditions). From this excellent video, I gather that in the final seconds (if my understanding is correct) he was descending - which seems odd (in view of known terrain hazards) (ATC couldn't clear him to higher altitudes because of higher-altitude traffic congestion at that time, but remaining where he was (holding altitude) might have been a safer choice, vs. (in the clag) making a gamble on something opening up below). What's especially puzzling is that ATC seemed unaware an impossible situation was developing. Maybe it's the case that back then the available technology didn't provide immediate info as to altitude & location (coordinates) (perhaps no transponders, or faulty transponders). Or maybe it was just a really bad day from several standpoints (e.g., congested sky, overworked air traffic controllers, & communication glitches).) Thank you again!

@airsearch9192 Год назад

Thanks William. I updated my previous comment. It's possible that the NTSB (and Air Force), may go easy on controllers, who have very difficult jobs and always seem to be in short supply.

@williamdavis7432 Год назад

@@airsearch9192 Many thanks again (a sad, but very interesting, video)!

@shadowcrusader2283 Год назад

Mob Hit.

@patrickcotter5629 Год назад

@timewilltell5476 6 месяцев назад

Simply mean.

@danielwymer1580 Год назад

Flight officer in the backseat had the big radar Scope in front of him, maybe the radar was not working properly or backseater, not paying attention, Who knows!