8 August 1985 – A USAF General Dynamics F-16A Block 15F Fighting Falcon, 81-0750, of the 421st Tactical Fighter Squadron, crashed during a training mission in northwest Utah, killing the pilot. The aircraft crashed onto the Utah Test and Training Range killing First Lieutenant S. Brad Peale. The aircraft suffered a controlled flight into terrain (CFIT).
On the same day, A USAF LTV A-7D Corsair II, 69‑6198, of the 4450th Tactical Group, lost power, caught fire, and crashed into Midwest City, a suburb of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Pilot Maj. Dennis D. Nielson stayed with the aircraft and attempted to steer it towards a less populated area before ejecting. But the fighter impacted a house, killing a local lawyer and his sister and injuring her daughter.
“The 15-year-old plane, one of 20 A-7s flown by the U.S. Air Force at that time, was assigned to Nellis Air Force Base near Las Vegas, Nev. It had been flown to Tinker for engine repairs several times, according to the report.
The A-7 was on its fifth maintenance check flight in a week when the plane’s engine “flamed out,” according to the report. An investigation of the engine and accessories did not identify the cause of the flameout, according to the report.
In September 1986, an $11 million lawsuit was filed on behalf of the estate of Quillin and Williams charging that the plane was allowed to fly despite its history of engine trouble. In July 1987, two years after the crash, the U.S. government agreed to pay $741,607 to settle the lawsuit.”