“The MiG-23 was a nightmare, maintenance was a nightmare,” said a U.S. Air Force former squadron commander who tested the aircraft. “The guys hated flying it,” he said. Also known as the Flogger, the MiG-23 was built in the Soviet Union by the Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau. It’s one of the most common military fighter planes, a third-generation jet fighter, and it was introduced in 1970.
The MiG-23 fought in the Vietnam War and in the Arab-Israeli Wars. In the latter, the MiG-23 was humiliated by Israeli forces who took down close to 12 of them over Lebanon and Syria. The aircraft’s reputation never really recovered. The Soviets admitted the MiG-23 was inferior to its competition, the F-15A, saying the Flogger was inferior in almost every way. India acquired the aircraft and found it to be prone to accidents. U.S. Air Force test pilots were also concerned, saying they were afraid the engines would blow up during flight.
The Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.9
The B.E.9 was a prototype reconnaissance plane that was built off the B.E.2 model in 1915. The added feature caused severe safety problems. A seat was mounted in front of the plane’s propeller to accommodate a gunner. Nicknamed the “pulpit,” the seat provided a gunner a perch to aim and fire his WWI-style machine gun. He had a great view of what was ahead, but it wasn’t the safest seat on the plane. The propeller was one hazard, and the proximity to the engine in the case of a crash risked certain death, even in the event of a mild crash.
After testing it, Hugh Trenchard, head of the Royal Flying Corps, said, “This type of machine cannot be recommended.” Major Hugh Dowding agreed. He said the B.E.9 was “an extremely dangerous machine from the passenger’s point of view.” By 1916, it was sent back.
The Fairey Albacore
In May of 1940, the Fairey Albacore joined the service of the Royal Navy. It was designed to replace an earlier version of the Fairey aircraft, but it turned out to be not as functional as the original and was retired by 1944.
The Fairey Albacore was a single-engine biplane with a torpedo bomber. Fairey Aviation built the plane for use in the Second World War. The plane was fitted with upgrades such as in-cabin heating, a more powerful engine, hydraulic flaps, and was capable of dive bombing. In 1942, it was at its height, equipping fifteen Fleet Air Arm squadrons, and then a year later, the Fairey Barracuda took its place.
The Yakovlev Yak-42
The Yak-42 is best known for the tragic plane crash in 2011 that killed the entire Lokomotiv Yaroslavl hockey team. A botched takeoff caused the aircraft capable of holding up to 120 people, to careen into a riverbank. Everyone on board except for a flight engineer was killed.
Granted, commercial air travel in Russia does not boast a stellar safety record, the Aviation Safety Network called it the “deadliest place to fly” in 2011, but the Yak-42, particularly, has an abysmal history. It is responsible for a total of nine fatal accidents, including the hockey team tragedy. In all, 570 people have died on that airliner. The first crash took 132 lives killing everyone on board, when it tore apart midair in Belarus on the 28th of June 1982. The Yak-42 is still in service.
The Ilyushin Il-62
When the Ilyushin Il-62 came out in 1963, it was the largest and fastest jet airliner in the world. Developed by Ilyushin Aviation Complex, it could carry up to 200 passengers. In 1967, it performed its maiden international passenger service flight, and, in 1977, the Il-62 broke five all-time speed and range records. In all, 292 were built.
Unfortunately, major problems plagued the Il-62. Engines were not only unreliable, but design errors worsened the situation. The engines were placed dangerously close to each other, and the failure of one engine could cause other engines to fail. Outdated systems, like the lack of a duplicate aircraft control system, placed the Soviet’s craft in last. It lagged so far behind Western technology that it lacked mandatory aircraft control systems of the West.