8/9/20 |
"The whole is more than the sum of its parts."
A Memory of the RF-4 Phantom Crash in Ely, Nevada
In May of 1981, when I was 13 years old, I witnessed a tragedy that left an indelible mark on my memory. I was one of many in Ely, Nevada, who saw the crash of an RF-4 Phantom (BuNo 153101), an accident that claimed the lives of its pilot, 1st Lt. Peter Joseph Keenan, and radar intercept officer, 1st Lt. William Dewey Lauerman III.
It was late on a Friday morning, just before lunch, when the classroom windows framed an astonishing sight: an F-4 Phantom flying unusually low over our school and then out across the town. The aircraft demanded attention—its raw power and proximity were mesmerizing. But the awe turned to horror in an instant. As we watched, the jet performed an acrobatic maneuver—an aileron roll—over the distant hills. Then, suddenly, it nosedived behind a ridge and exploded.
The school erupted in commotion, students and teachers alike stunned by what had just unfolded before our eyes. The principal’s voice came over the intercom, steady but somber:
"As you are all aware, we just witnessed a tragedy. There is nothing we can do about it. The authorities and emergency crews will do what they can. For now, remain calm."
At lunch, plumes of smoke still rose from behind the hills near Squaw Peak, the mountain range that overlooks Ely and the Steptoe Valley. The military arrived soon after, securing the site for investigation and cleanup, keeping the public at a distance.
That night, life carried on as it always had—an odd contrast to the day’s events. As was common at the time, many of us spent the evening roller-skating at the armory. REO Speedwagon’s "Take It on the Run," Hall & Oates’ "Kiss on My List," Kool & the Gang’s "Celebration," and the Go-Go’s "We Got the Beat" played in rotation as we skated laps around our town’s makeshift rink. The juxtaposition was unsettling: mere hours before, we had witnessed a catastrophe, and now we were laughing and having fun.
A Final Adventure
Two weeks later, my brother Marty and I set out on one last adventure with our cousin Peter before moving to Oregon. We wanted to see the crash site for ourselves.
We snuck past the city landfill and made our way toward the restricted area. Climbing up the desert hillside, we hoped to avoid detection by the military personnel who were still stationed nearby. If they saw us, they didn’t react—perhaps by then, they no longer cared. Hidden in the sagebrush, perched on a rocky outcrop, we looked down onto a dirt road winding into a canyon. Below, military trucks and personnel worked to strap down the charred remains of the aircraft onto a dump truck, preparing to leave.
Once the coast was clear, we descended the hillside into the shallow canyon, stepping onto a narrow dirt road. At first, there were no obvious signs of disaster. But then, we came upon an unmistakable scar in the landscape—a blackened hillside, trees and brush burned to charcoal, and small remnants of the plane still scattered across the ground. The smell was sickening—an acrid blend of scorched earth and metal.
We wandered in silent, morbid fascination, collecting small fragments of the wreckage. Then, we saw something that still haunts me to this day: marking tags spiked into the ground at various points, each bearing a biblical inscription. They marked the locations where body parts had been found. That moment stayed with me—I will never forget it.
We lingered for a while, maybe 30 to 45 minutes, before realizing the sun was setting. Soon, it would be dark, and it was time to leave. Carrying our eerie souvenirs, we made our way home.
When we arrived, Mom was furious. We were supposed to be helping her pack for our move, not wandering around a crash site. She made us throw away the pieces of the plane we had collected, and in hindsight, I completely understand why. As an adult and a parent, I know now why she wanted to protect us from holding onto something so grim.
 Now that I am in my early 50's and have some perspective on what we had witnessed and saw at the crash site, I decided to face some of those haunted memories and work with them in a creative way. As a form of therapy, I used my artistic skills to "reassemble" the plane in a literal way. I first painted an illustration of the plane doing a lot research using its bureau number (BuNo 153101) in the process. In so doing, I was able to find the history of this particular F4-Phantom as well as historical photos of the aircraft in it's various paint scheme iterations. When it crashed, it was painted in basic military grey like the other aircraft it was stationed with in El Toro, California.  However, in 1976 BuNo 153101 was all decked out for the Bicentennial with it's "Spirit of America" design! Such a beautiful plane! I also discovered there was a model kit from Testors issued in the 1990's of that F4-Phantom in the "Spirit of America" color scheme. I was able to purchase the model from Rare Plane Detective (located in Cathedral City, California) and have it shipped to me in Oregon. When it arrived, I was a little nervous because there was some slight damage to the box. It had also been opened but upon doing an inventory I found that all but one small piece was there. The decals looked like they were in good condition but I made a high resolution copy of them encase there were age related issues. I could simply print up new ones if necessary. Here is the box as it arrived at my studio, a little aged and crinkled. Opening the box and doing inventory... The plane is in pieces but I am going to fix it! Assembling the cockpit and gluing the fuselage halves together. The camera bay is assembled and attached to the fuselage. Wings are glued into place. I use One Shot Clear Coat spray as a primer so I can use acrylic airbrush paints instead of enamel model paints. There is a lot of sanding and repainting to make all the seam transitions smoother. This model has vague instructions on exactly where to glue parts together and I relied a lot on Youtube videos of actual F4-Phantoms to show me exactly where the parts – especially the landing gear –attached to one another. I have attached the tail wings and painted in its heat shield at the back. At this point I am enhancing the panel details. I am now masking and airbrushing in the the black sections over the jet intakes, the white panels on the wings and the blue over the nose and around the canopy area. The model comes with decals that are to be used for the red and white ribbon that goes down the nose and around the canopy. I decided to hand paint that area instead –trusting in my paint abilities over the potential hassle the decals might create due to their age and the curving and rolling location on the plane's front section. The bottom of the plane is white but I also made sure it wasn't too clean by adding some areas of weathering and dirt. I am now adding the decals which, to my surprise, slide into place quite easily considering they are almost 30 years old! I am also adding a little weathering to the top of the model at this point. Time to tackle the landing gear! ...and the drop tanks! Sometimes I find it easier to One Shot prime and base paint some of the parts before cutting them away from the part trees. After a little hassle the landing gear are finally attached and painted! Center line and outboard tanks glued together with paint in process and decals to follow. The canopy is the final section I attached to the plane. Trying out a display option. I like the idea of a glossy wet look to the display base because it provides a reflective view of the plane's underside. Final photo shoot without the ground crew which I will be adding soon. For the most part, my model of the McDonnell Douglas F4-Phantom II (BuNo153101) "Spirit of America" is completed! It has been a fun project and a nice diversion during the pandemic. The last time I saw this plane it was in pieces and though there is no reasonable way to undo or fix the past, in a creative way, the mind has a way of healing past traumas. In gestalt therapy, " the whole is more than the sum of its parts". But also, without the parts there would be nothing to make up the whole, which is very similar to the Hua-yen way of seeing things!
Of course, there is still more to go. I just received a 1/48 scale ground crew with pilots to add to the scene. I will update this blog with more pictures as I make progress with the ground crew and their tools! Some of the ground crew are hard at work doing maintenance on the plane... Custom made boarding ladder for pilot... Illustration inspired by a low resolution photo of 1st Lt. Peter Joseph Keenan and 1st Lt. William Dewey Lauerman III about to board their aircraft. |
