AVIATION: The Widow-Maker

• Share

When the U.S.-designed F-104 Starfighter was adopted by the West German air force in 1961, the sophisticated warplane seemed to be the ideal craft for that country's air defense system. It was a technological marvel with a maximum speed of 1,450 m.p.h. and a reputation as the hottest fighter in America's arsenal. In West Germany, however, the Starfighter has won no encomiums; the aircraft has instead become known as the "widow-maker." In the 15 years that the Luftwaffe has been flying the F-104s, 178 have crashed, claiming the lives of 85 pilots.

Many theories have been offered to explain the accidents. The Starfighter had been designed by Lockheed Aircraft as a high-altitude, fair-weather interceptor. But the Luftwaffe modified it, converting some models into all-weather fighter-bombers and others into reconnaissance planes. The changes added weight to the aircraft, presumably making them even more tricky to handle. According to one veteran U.S. Starfighter pilot, controlling the unmodified models was difficult enough. "To fly it properly you must have fingers like a concert pianist," he says. Other observers felt that West German support crews lacked the technical expertise to cope with the sophisticated craft.

No Common Defect. Most of the pilots' widows thought the problem was more fundamental, and 50 of them brought suit in 1971 against Lockheed, claiming that the planes had been improperly designed. Their counsel, flamboyant San Francisco Attorney Melvin Belli, had difficulty proving their case, however. "There wasn't a common defect to all the planes as we had thought," said a Belli associate last week. Nevertheless, it appeared that a few of the widows might win their cases, and Lockheed insurers agreed to settle out of court. The reparations totaled a modest $1.2 million, about half of the original cost of one of the ill-fated Starfighters.