Craig D. Button
Encyclopedia
Craig David Button was a United States Air Force
pilot who died when he crashed an A-10 Thunderbolt II
aircraft in mysterious circumstances on April 2, 1997. During the incident, Captain
Button inexplicably flew hundreds of miles off-course without radio contact, appeared to maneuver purposefully and did not attempt to eject before the crash. His death is regarded as a suicide because no other theory explains the events. His aircraft carried live bombs which were never recovered. It took three weeks to find the crash site. During that time, there was widespread public speculation about Captain Button's intentions and whereabouts.
. His mother, Joan Button, was a devoted Jehovah's Witness. According to a letter written by Craig, she raised him "to think that joining the military is wrong." She did not allow Craig to wear his college AFROTC uniform at home. Craig's half-sister, Susane Button, reported that his mother had wanted him to leave the military.
Hurlburt Field
at Eglin Air Force Base
(home of the Air Force Special Operations Command
) is named after Craig Button's uncle, Donald Wilson Hurlburt, who was a B-17 pilot in World War II.
's Wantagh High School in Wantagh, New York
. He began flying at age 17 and aspired to be a professional pilot. He was described as "polite", "quiet" and a "perfectionist" who "rarely drank and never smoked." One of his instructors remarked that his shoes were always shined. His next-door neighbor growing up reports that he was "a ridiculously hard worker."
, where he received a degree in aerospace engineering
in 1990. He spent four years at Laughlin Air Force Base
in Texas as a T-37 first assignment instructor pilot (FAIP) before transferring to the A-10 at Davis–Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona. He had been an Air Force pilot for five years before the crash.
Captain Button was in his single-seat A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft when it took off on a training mission with two other A-10s from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base
in Tucson, Arizona
. His jet was armed with four Mk-82 bombs, 60 magnesium flares
, 120 metal chaff
canisters and 575 rounds of 30-millimeter ammunition
. This training mission would have been the first time Captain Button dropped live ordnance.
Near Gila Bend, Arizona, Captain Button unexpectedly broke formation after receiving in-flight refueling. He flew in a northeasterly direction towards the Four Corners area of Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah. His jet was spotted numerous times by observers on the ground. One observer, an off-duty pilot, said the jet appeared to maneuver around bad weather. This observation suggested to the Air Force that the aircraft was being flown manually and purposefully. The flight was tracked by radar in Phoenix
, Albuquerque and Denver. But because Captain Button's transponder was turned off, the aircraft was only tracked, not identified. It was only after analyzing radar data later that investigators were able to track Button's flight.
The jet zig-zagged near the end of its flight. It was last spotted in the air about 100 miles (160.9 km) west of Denver. The jet impacted terrain about 15 miles (24.1 km) SW of Vail, Colorado, on Gold Dust Peak (39°28′44"N 106°35′40"W) in a remote part of Eagle County
. The Air Force concluded the jet probably had two to five minutes of fuel remaining when it crashed. The impact occurred at about 13200 feet (4,023.4 m) of elevation, just 100 feet (30.5 m) below the summit. The debris field was over a quarter-mile-square area (0.64 km2). Pieces of the canopy and cockpit went over a ridge.
and the Civil Air Patrol
. A U-2
reconnaissance plane from Beale Air Force Base
in California overflew the area and identified five possible sites. Twenty days after Button's aircraft disappeared, an Air Force TH-53A helicopter spotted metal fragments in the snow on Gold Dust Peak. Steep terrain, bad weather, high winds, deep snow, rock slides and avalanches hampered access to the site. Rodents were even found to be chewing through the ropes of recovery personnel. It was several more days before the wreckage was confirmed to be Captain Button's missing A-10. It took another four months to recover the human remains.
The four 500-pound Mk-82 bombs were never found despite an exhaustive search involving metal detectors and ground-penetrating radar. The bombs were designed to survive a crash and the Air Force expected to find them at the site. Furthermore, the aircraft's bomb racks were recovered in the wreckage, and they indicated that the bombs had not been released. Yet, more than four dozen witnesses reported hearing loud explosions in Northern Arizona and also near Telluride and Aspen in Colorado. However, no evidence was found to support the idea that Button released the weapons where the explosions were heard. The Mk-82 bombs can throw shrapnel more than a mile (1.6 km), and the crash site was less than 4000 feet (1.2 km) from a deep alpine lake.
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
pilot who died when he crashed an A-10 Thunderbolt II
A-10 Thunderbolt II
The Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II is an American single-seat, twin-engine, straight-wing jet aircraft developed by Fairchild-Republic in the early 1970s. The A-10 was designed for a United States Air Force requirement to provide close air support for ground forces by attacking tanks,...
aircraft in mysterious circumstances on April 2, 1997. During the incident, Captain
Captain (OF-2)
The army rank of captain is a commissioned officer rank historically corresponding to command of a company of soldiers. The rank is also used by some air forces and marine forces. Today a captain is typically either the commander or second-in-command of a company or artillery battery...
Button inexplicably flew hundreds of miles off-course without radio contact, appeared to maneuver purposefully and did not attempt to eject before the crash. His death is regarded as a suicide because no other theory explains the events. His aircraft carried live bombs which were never recovered. It took three weeks to find the crash site. During that time, there was widespread public speculation about Captain Button's intentions and whereabouts.
Family
Craig Button's father, Richard Button, was a retired Air Force Lieutenant ColonelLieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
. His mother, Joan Button, was a devoted Jehovah's Witness. According to a letter written by Craig, she raised him "to think that joining the military is wrong." She did not allow Craig to wear his college AFROTC uniform at home. Craig's half-sister, Susane Button, reported that his mother had wanted him to leave the military.
Hurlburt Field
Hurlburt Field
Hurlburt Field is a U.S. Air Force installation located in Okaloosa County, Florida, immediately west of the Town of Mary Esther. It is part of the greater Eglin Air Force Base reservation, and is home to Headquarters Air Force Special Operations Command , the 1st Special Operations Wing , the...
at Eglin Air Force Base
Eglin Air Force Base
Eglin Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately 3 miles southwest of Valparaiso, Florida in Okaloosa County....
(home of the Air Force Special Operations Command
Air Force Special Operations Command
Air Force Special Operations Command is the Special Operations component of the United States Air Force and the US Air Force component command to the United States Special Operations Command , a unified command located at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida...
) is named after Craig Button's uncle, Donald Wilson Hurlburt, who was a B-17 pilot in World War II.
Early life
Craig Button graduated from Long IslandLong Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
's Wantagh High School in Wantagh, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. He began flying at age 17 and aspired to be a professional pilot. He was described as "polite", "quiet" and a "perfectionist" who "rarely drank and never smoked." One of his instructors remarked that his shoes were always shined. His next-door neighbor growing up reports that he was "a ridiculously hard worker."
Air Force career
Captain Button was commissioned through the Air Force ROTC program at New York Institute of Technology in Old Westbury, New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, where he received a degree in aerospace engineering
Aerospace engineering
Aerospace engineering is the primary branch of engineering concerned with the design, construction and science of aircraft and spacecraft. It is divided into two major and overlapping branches: aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering...
in 1990. He spent four years at Laughlin Air Force Base
Laughlin Air Force Base
Laughlin Air Force Base is a facility of the United States Air Force located five miles east of the central business district of Del Rio, Texas.-Overview:...
in Texas as a T-37 first assignment instructor pilot (FAIP) before transferring to the A-10 at Davis–Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona. He had been an Air Force pilot for five years before the crash.
Events of April 2, 1997
Davis-Monthan Air Force Base
Davis–Monthan Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located within the city limits, and approximately south-southeast of downtown, Tucson, Arizona....
in Tucson, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
. His jet was armed with four Mk-82 bombs, 60 magnesium flares
Flare (countermeasure)
A flare is an aerial infrared countermeasure to counter an infrared homing surface-to-air missile or air-to-air missile. Flares are commonly composed of a pyrotechnic composition based on magnesium or another hot-burning metal, with burning temperature equal to or hotter than engine exhaust...
, 120 metal chaff
Chaff (radar countermeasure)
Chaff, originally called Window by the British, and Düppel by the Second World War era German Luftwaffe , is a radar countermeasure in which aircraft or other targets spread a cloud of small, thin pieces of aluminium, metallized glass fibre or plastic, which either appears as a cluster of secondary...
canisters and 575 rounds of 30-millimeter ammunition
30 mm caliber
30 mm caliber ammunition is usually used in autocannon. Such ammunition includes NATO standard 30 × 173 mm and 30 × 113 mm and Soviet 30 × 165 mm ammunition widely used around the world....
. This training mission would have been the first time Captain Button dropped live ordnance.
Near Gila Bend, Arizona, Captain Button unexpectedly broke formation after receiving in-flight refueling. He flew in a northeasterly direction towards the Four Corners area of Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah. His jet was spotted numerous times by observers on the ground. One observer, an off-duty pilot, said the jet appeared to maneuver around bad weather. This observation suggested to the Air Force that the aircraft was being flown manually and purposefully. The flight was tracked by radar in Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
, Albuquerque and Denver. But because Captain Button's transponder was turned off, the aircraft was only tracked, not identified. It was only after analyzing radar data later that investigators were able to track Button's flight.
The jet zig-zagged near the end of its flight. It was last spotted in the air about 100 miles (160.9 km) west of Denver. The jet impacted terrain about 15 miles (24.1 km) SW of Vail, Colorado, on Gold Dust Peak (39°28′44"N 106°35′40"W) in a remote part of Eagle County
Eagle County, Colorado
Eagle County is the thirteenth most populous of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado in the United States. The county is named for the Eagle River. The county population was 41,659 at U.S. Census 2000. The county seat is the Town of Eagle...
. The Air Force concluded the jet probably had two to five minutes of fuel remaining when it crashed. The impact occurred at about 13200 feet (4,023.4 m) of elevation, just 100 feet (30.5 m) below the summit. The debris field was over a quarter-mile-square area (0.64 km2). Pieces of the canopy and cockpit went over a ridge.
Sightings
| Time | Location |
|---|---|
| 11:58 AM | east of Tucson |
| 12:10 PM | west of Apache Junction, Arizona |
| 12:11 PM | several miles south of Lake Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Lake Theodore Roosevelt Lake is a large reservoir formed by Theodore Roosevelt Dam on the Salt River in Arizona as part of the Salt River Project... |
| 12:29 PM | north of Lake Roosevelt |
| 12:43 PM | approaching New Mexico |
| 12:58 PM | just inside Colorado |
| 1:00 PM | near Telluride Telluride, Colorado The town of Telluride is the county seat and most populous town of San Miguel County in the southwestern portion of the U.S. state of Colorado. The town is a former silver mining camp on the San Miguel River in the western San Juan Mountains... |
| 1:08 PM | near Montrose Montrose, Colorado The City of Montrose is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Montrose County, Colorado, United States. The United States Census Bureau estimates that the city population was 15,479 in 2005. The main road that leads in and out of Montrose is U.S... |
| 1:22 PM | Button begins a zig-zag pattern with this sighting between Grand Junction Grand Junction, Colorado The City of Grand Junction is the largest city in western Colorado. It is a city with a council–manager government form that is the county seat and the most populous city of Mesa County, Colorado, United States. Grand Junction is situated west-southwest of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver. As... and Aspen Aspen, Colorado The City of Aspen is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Pitkin County, Colorado, United States. The United States Census Bureau estimates that the city population was 5,804 in 2005... |
| 1:27 PM | bearing to the northeast, Button is now north of Aspen |
| 1:30 PM | Button is due south of his last position |
| 1:33 PM | the A-10 is southeast of the last sighting |
| 1:35 PM | north by northeast of its previous sighting, the A-10 is between Aspen and Grand Junction again |
| 1:37 PM | Button is heading northeast again |
| 1:40 PM | In the last reported sighting, Button is northeast of Aspen, near Craig's Peak and New York Mountain |
Search and recovery
The search for the crash site was conducted by the US Air Force, Colorado Air National GuardColorado Air National Guard
The Colorado Air National Guard is based at Buckley Air Force Base in Aurora. The COANG was founded June 27, 1923 and consisted of the 120th Aero Observation Squadron as a part of the Colorado Army National Guard...
and the Civil Air Patrol
Civil Air Patrol
Civil Air Patrol is a Congressionally chartered, federally supported, non-profit corporation that serves as the official civilian auxiliary of the United States Air Force . CAP is a volunteer organization with an aviation-minded membership that includes people from all backgrounds, lifestyles, and...
. A U-2
Lockheed U-2
The Lockheed U-2, nicknamed "Dragon Lady", is a single-engine, very high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft operated by the United States Air Force and previously flown by the Central Intelligence Agency . It provides day and night, very high-altitude , all-weather intelligence gathering...
reconnaissance plane from Beale Air Force Base
Beale Air Force Base
Beale Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately east of Marysville, California. Originally known as Camp Beale....
in California overflew the area and identified five possible sites. Twenty days after Button's aircraft disappeared, an Air Force TH-53A helicopter spotted metal fragments in the snow on Gold Dust Peak. Steep terrain, bad weather, high winds, deep snow, rock slides and avalanches hampered access to the site. Rodents were even found to be chewing through the ropes of recovery personnel. It was several more days before the wreckage was confirmed to be Captain Button's missing A-10. It took another four months to recover the human remains.
Status of the Mk-82 bombs