Skyhawk A4G N13-154909 (888)
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Brief Aircraft History
- Delivered to RAN 11/67. Unloaded from HMAS Melbourne onto Navy barge in Jervis Bay 23/11/67 then by road to Nowra.
- With VF805 01/06/68.
- Crashed over side of MELBOURNE 23/05/79, after arrestor wire broke/parted during landing 90Km east of Jervis Bay, NSW. LCDR K. Finan USN ejected and rescued unhurt by the SAR Wessex & returned onboard HMAS Melbourne.
Images of Skyhawk N13-154909 (888)
Loss of Skyhawk N13-154909 (888)
For brief excerpt from VF805 Squadron Diary, click here.
For videos of the event, click here and here.
For June 79 Navy News article and other photographs of ejection sequence see below
Still capture from RAN video: Arrestor wire parting.
Close up of moment of ejection. LCDR Finan’s seat deploys just as the aircraft sinks below flight deck level. The departed canopy can be seen as a black smudge at the top of the image.
View from LSO’s position. The Canopy is leaving the aircraft but the seat is yet to deploy.
Below: The last sighting of Skyhawk 888. 
