McDonnell Douglas F-4C Phantom II crash on Davis Islands - 1966

The tail section of a McDonnell Douglas F-4C Phantom II crash on Davis Islands - 1966. Gandy Collection. Courtesy of the University of South Florida.

I was on a school bus on South Davis Blvd On May 26th, 1966, just a few blocks from where a McDonnell Douglas F-4C Phantom II crashed into two homes on Davis Islands. We saw some smoke but didn’t know what it was from. It turns out that a supersonic jet was on a training mission from MacDill Air Force Base when trouble developed on board. The pilots held on as long as they could until they ejected, landing at the tip of Hookers Point. They sustained minor injuries.

The crash damaged five houses on the south side of the islands on Geneva Place, close to Jamaica Ave, around 8:00 AM on the 26th. Miraculously, no one was home or injured. All five homes were eventually repaired. The house with the main impact, 695 Geneva Place, lasted until early 2025, when it was demolished, presumably due to damage from the storm surge from Hurricane Helene in October 2024 that flooded the islands and caused mass destruction.

Colonel Collins with the US Air Force speaks with Tampa Police Department officials on scene. 1966 Gandy Collection. Courtesy of the University of South Florida.

The remains of the jet engine of the McDonnell Douglas F-4c Phantom II rests in the front yard of one of 695 Geneva Place on Davis Islands. 1966.Gandy Collection. Courtesy of the University of South Florida.

A firefighter sprays the remains the McDonnell Douglas F-4c Phantom II after a crash at 695 Geneva Place on Davis Islands. 1966.Gandy Collection. Courtesy of the University of South Florida.

One of the homes impacted by the crash of McDonnell Douglas F-4c Phantom II on Davis Islands May 26, 1966. Gandy Collection. Courtesy of the University of South Florida.