Blast from the past...Grumman F-14B Tomcat belonging to VF-142, serial number 161433 suffers major mechanical failure and makes it back to carrier...

via The Aviation Geek Club...

November 13, 1991, a Grumman F-14B Tomcat belonging to VF-142, serial number 161433, successfully managed to land aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Eisenhower, after losing the nosecone at 27,000 feet due to a faulty latching mechanism.

The pilot, Lt.Cdr. Joe Edwards, was injured after the lost piece struck the canopy and showered him in glass, injuring his eyes and breaking his collarbone, and even though he also had to deal with limited visibility through a 3-inch hole, as the rest of the canopy was severely cracked, he successfully made it back to the ship with help from his RIO Lt.JG Scott Grundmeier, managing a perfect landing on the second arresting wire.

Both pilots received the Distinguished Flying Cross medal for their achievements, and Edwards later became a Space Shuttle pilot for NASA.

The aircraft was quickly repaired and returned to service, flying until March 11 2005, when the entire Tomcat fleet began decommissioning. 

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