George Duncan’s ramp strike has been used in several films including Men of the Fighting Lady, Midway, and The Hunt for Red October
Taken in 1951, the shocking video in this post shows the famous non-fatal Grumman F9F-2 Panther ramp strike accident that occurred as Cdr. George Duncan attempted to land on USS Midway (CV-41) in F9F-2 BuNo 125228, during carrier suitability tests in the Atlantic Ocean.
The Panther was engulfed in fire, and sailors pulled Capt. Duncan from the flaming wreckage. He was badly burned but was back flying in six months.
Noteworthy the footage of Duncan’s ramp strike has been used in several movies including Men of the Fighting Lady (realistically as an F9F), Midway (where the SBD Dauntless flown by Charlton Heston morphs into an SB2C Helldiver in the groove and crashes as Duncan’s Panther), and The Hunt for Red October (standing in for an F-14 Tomcat).
Photo by U.S. Navy
