​​​At 1644 eastern standard time, on January 9th, 1983, a Beech D-55 BaronN7142N and a McDonnell-Douglas F-4C Phantom 11, collided in flight at 9,300 feet about 30 miles south of Cherry Point, North Carolina. Th twin engine Beech Baron was operating under visual flight rules from Nassau, the Bahamas, to Norfolk, Virginia with a pilot, and 6 passengers on board. The Baron crashed at sea and none of the occupants were recovered during the US Coast Guard's search and rescue effort; all are presumed dead.

The US Air Force was operating a Special Military Instrument Intercept Clearance Mission from Seymour Johnson Air Foree Base, Goldsboro, NC. The purpose of the mission was to intercept an unknown target. The aircrew of the F-4C consisted of a pilot and a weapons systems officer seat in tandem. The F-FC sustained substantial damage to the left wing and the left drop tank assembly separated F-4C flight crew was not injured in the accident, and the airplane returned to Seymour Johnson Air Force Base without further incident.    

​​We did not determine the probable cause of this accident.