1994 Black Hawk Shootdown Incident - Aftermath

Aftermath

Five days after the shootdown, USAF OPC officials began including Black Hawk flight times in the daily ATO and included the correct IFF code in the ATO provided to Eagle Flight. OPC officially ended on December 31, 1996. Over the six years of the operation, coalition participants flew a total of 62,000 fixed-wing and rotary-wing sorties. The Black Hawk shootdown was the only serious accident to occur during the operation.

Wickson resigned and May retired from the USAF soon after Fogleman's investigation was completed. Lawrence Tracy retired immediately after Wang's court-martial on an early (15-year) retirement option. As of May 2005 Jim Wang was still serving in the USAF, but he remained at the rank of Captain, having been denied promotion. Interviewed in 2005 about the shootdown, Tracy stated, "Jim (Wang) and all of us at first were held up as scapegoats. I think that was to cover up for the pilots. They had their fangs out. They wanted to kill something because it had been ages since an F-15 had shot anything down. We were held accountable for their actions."

Andrus retired from the USAF in 1995, Pilkington in 1996, Emery in 1997, and Santarelli in 1998, all at the same rank they held at the time of the shootdown, except Emery, who retired as a brigadier general. Richardson was promoted to brigadier general on July 1, 1999 and retired on September 1, 2001. Dallager was appointed as superintendent of the USAF Academy in June 2000 and was promoted to lieutenant general on August 1 of the same year. Dallager's appointment and promotion were criticized by observers because of his involvement in the controversial shootdown after-actions and refusal to testify for the senate investigation. Dallager retired on September 1, 2003, but at the rank of major general.

A monument to the 26 victims of the shootdown was constructed at Giebelstadt Army Airfield, Germany and dedicated on April 14, 1996. After U.S. military presence ceased at Giebelstadt, due to base closures, the monument was moved to Fort Rucker, Alabama on March 10, 2006, and rededicated on April 14, 2007.

"The 53rd FS 'Tigers' never fully recovered from the dark blemish on their otherwise exemplary record. The only way the USAF could make the issue and the pain go away was by closing the unit. This was done on March 10, 1999, leaving USAFE with only one Eagle squadron for the next war in its theater."