[Pukin Dog]

Either they were going head to head, or one of them was trying to reproduce that scene from "Top Gun."

Doubtful.

More likely, they were on their way to Marshall in a Right Eschelon formation, (Lead left and out front, Wing tucked in right and low).

If Lead decelerates and Wing doesn't catch it, Wing cannot break right, as his left wing would come up into Lead, and they would both likely be dead now.

So, Wing pushes LEFT and low, to go under Lead, and probably caught the starboard tail on Lead's starboard wing tip. It would take a lateral impact to knock off the Vertical stab, so this is probably how it happened.

Fault goes to Lead, if he did not call boards before slowing, or fault goes to Wing, if Lead called it, and he missed it.

[TruthNtegrity]

Is there anyway you can put this post into English so I can understand it? I lost you somewhere between Lead and Wing.

[The Squid]

I still have my PUKIN DOGS T-shirt from my 1996 deployment on the GW. I've had a dozen chances to sell it, some were former dogs others just liked the name. Only the dogs had a clue as to where the name came from.

[Yo-Yo]

More likely, they were on their way to Marshall in a Right Eschelon formation, (Lead left and out front, Wing tucked in right and low).

I have to disagree. Wing would have been level with Lead, and no matter how tucked in he was, there is no way that Lead's right wingtip would have been able to strike Wing's right vertical stab without also taking out the left vertical stab.

If Wing were slightly below and behind Lead, then the proper break would have been down, not right and low.

No, either a head to head a bit too close, or else one aircraft was flying formation inverted.