In the movie Top Gun, Goose dies during a training mission. Goose was Mavericks co-pilot for the F-14 fighter jet, and he handled communications, navigation, and other tasks while Maverick focused on flying. During a combat simulation, Goose and Maverick were paired with Iceman to take down enemy fighters. However, things quickly went wrong, and Goose died in the resulting crash. The exact cause of the crash is unclear, but it appears that Goose suffered fatal head and neck trauma when he struck the canopy of his F-14 upon ejecting from the failing aircraft. Maverick blamed himself for Gooses death, but he was ultimately cleared of any wrongdoing. The Navy had a large role in shaping Top Gun, and they censored the original draft of Gooses death, which involved a more spectacular midair collision that left flaming wreckage burning aboard an aircraft carrier.