F-4 Pilots Eject Over Freezing North Sea – Dramatic Rescue Follows

The North Sea, 22 November 1975: Captain Jim Evans (33), pilot, and Lt. George Kuprian (29), WSO, flying an F-4D Phantom II (66-0256) call sign “Trest One” were conducting air combat training over the North Sea, 60 to 80 miles east of Great Yarmouth. (Great Yarmouth is a coastal town in Norfolk, east England).

Close by, another F-4 Phantom (call sign "Trest Two") was flown by Frank Chuba. The third F-4 Phantom (Call sign "Trest Three" was flown by Ed Daniel. All three aircraft was assigned to the 492nd TFS (48th TFW), RAF Lakenheath, UK.

"Trest One" suffered a compressor stall followed by a fire in the right engine. Prior to ejecting, Captain Evans coordinated with ATC Drayton Center to dispatch a rescue helicopter to the scene from RAF Mildenhall. He then ordered the remaining flight "Trest One" and "Trest Two" to establish a high and low RESCAP.

At this point, Evans headed west to the English coast. This was when the second engine quit. When the flight controls seized up, the crew ejected.

The ejections were successful and neither airman suffered injuries. The remaining flight, "Trest Three" (Lead) and "Trest Two" (wingman) immediately established a RESCAP over the downed crew and followed them as they entered the water. Both crewmen were seen getting into the life rafts.

The sea conditions were six to nine foot swells with a water temperature of 40 degrees Fahrenheit. The survival of Evans and Kuprian, wet and cold in the bitter weather was in serious doubt. The rescue became complicated when both the rescue helicopter and a UK Coast Guard ship responded.

Ed Daniel coordinated with the helicopter while trying to direct the ship to the survivors with no radio contact with the ship. All the while working with "Trest Two" trying to maintain visual contact with the survivors. He also had intermittent radio contact with Captain Evans who was coordinating his own rescue.

Evans and Kuprian were both picked up by the British Helicopter. Kuprian never made it to his raft. In fact, of the two under arm inflatables, only one inflated.

The chopper accidentally saw him going to pick up Jimmy. Definitely “Angels on his shoulder”. Flight Sergeant Wayne Viles, the RAF Coltishall winchman from 22 squadron 'B' Flight described his part in the rescue mission: "The orbiting aircraft marked the areas we approached.

Then we saw the liferaft and steered for it. We had been told there was one man to look for and almost missed the other one, but we suddenly spotted him about 100 yards away and turned toward him instead. I went down on the winch - we have about 60 feet of cable to play with - put the harness over his head and around his chest and brought him back up.

Then I went back for the pilot, and put the hook on the harness crosspiece you wear. We went back up and it was over." Ed Daniel remained on RESCAP until relieved by another flight of F-4’s from RAF Lakenheath. It was estimated that the RESCAP would be BINGO fuel at 3000 lbs and have to return to base.

Daniel left with 1100 lbs remaining and never made it back to RAF Lakenheath. After 80 miles, he diverted to a nearby runway. The aircraft flamed out just after leaving the runway.

Additional: Posted by the pilot of "Trest 2" (Frank Cuba, USAF): "Greetings from Trest 2: Slight correction to your post: We were never relieved by another flight of F-4s from Lakenheath. After Ed left, Trest 2 remained on patrol until the helicopter was in sight and had Jimmy’s raft in sight, then diverted to RAF Bentwaters with emergency fuel. Shutting one engine down immediately after touch down on the runway we managed to taxi to the ramp without flaming out the other engine.

Bentwaters command post informed us that both guys got picked up while we were taxiing in. We then refueled and headed back to the “heath”. I visited George at the Lakenheath Hospital that night when I got back.

His raft and one of the LPUs (under arm life preservers) has been torn so he was immersed up to his shoulders hanging on the remaining LPU. With only his head out of the water he was nearly impossible to see. When I asked him how scary was that he replied that it was not scary at all as he could see us overhead the whole time and knew help was on the way.

Scary, he said, (As a former infantryman in Viet Nam) is a night jungle patrol in a booby-trapped area"