PDA

View Full Version : Miramar-based F-18 jets collide in Oregon; 2 reported dead



thedrifter
07-21-04, 08:57 PM
Miramar-based F-18 jets collide in Oregon; 2 reported dead

6:10 p.m. July 21, 2004

SAN DIEGO – Two Miramar-based Marine Corps fighter jets collided in a fiery crash over the Columbia River in Oregon Wednesday, killing two of the three crewmen involved, authorities said.

"We have two pilots that have been found dead, one on the Oregon side of the Columbia River and one on the Washington (state) side," Chris Fitzsimmons, Emergency Management Coordinator for Oregon's Gilliam County, told Reuters by telephone.

The jets, both F-18 warplanes, collided over the Columbia River near Arlington, about 120 miles east of Portland.

A pilot who survived was being treated in the emergency room at Mid-Columbia Medical Center in The Dalles, Ore., and was speaking and coherent, said hospital spokeswoman Yvonne Arbogast.

Debris from the jets was scattered as far away as Interstate 84, eight miles south of Arlington, Fitzsimmons said.

"We felt it, like a supersonic boom, like someone ran into the building," said Linda Williams, an employee of the Village Inn in Arlington.

Eyewitnesses reported seeing three parachutes in the air, indicating all three airmen managed to eject from their aircraft, according to television.

Williams said she saw two parachutes, one landing on a hillside and one in the river.

The two aircraft, F-18s based at the Miramar Marine Corps Air Station, were on their way from Portland, Ore., to a training range when they collided about 2:30 p.m., said a spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration.

Other witnesses reported hearing a "big boom," then seeing a fiery explosion in the sky, Fitzsimmons said.

The Oregon National Guard was preparing to send two Blackhawk helicopters to northeastern Oregon, said guard spokesman Cpt. Mike Braibish. The helicopters would provide whatever support necessary, he said.

The F-18 has either one or two seats depending on the version. It was first test-flown in 1978.

They are designed for air-to-air and air-to-ground combat.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stories from Reuters and The Associated Press were used in compiling this report.


http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/military/20040721-1606-jetscollide.html


Ellie

thedrifter
07-23-04, 08:42 AM
July 22, 2004

Fighter jet collision kills two pilots

By Christian Lowe
Times staff writer


Two Marine Reserve Hornet jet fighters crashed July 21 near Arlington, Ore., killing two Marine aviators.
The crash occurred around 3 p.m. Pacific time near the bombing range in Boardman along the Columbia River. The jets, a single-seat F/A-18A and a two-seat F/A-18B from Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 134, based at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif., collided during a routine air combat maneuvering exercise, said Capt. Pat Kerr, Marine Forces Reserve spokesman.

All three aviators ejected from their stricken aircraft, but only the single-seat fighter pilot survived. He was rushed to Mid-Columbia Medical Center in Dalles, Ore., with what Kerr termed “very minor injuries.” The pilot was later released.

The aviators’ names have not yet been disclosed. The dead will be identified only after their next of kin have been notified.

Witness reports indicate that at least one of the aviators was dead when he hit the Columbia River’s waters.

Officials were not sure whether the aviator riding in the back seat of the F/A-18B was a pilot or a weapons systems officer.

Marine officials could not provide information regarding the cause of the crash, saying the incident is under investigation.

The July 21 crash is the third fatal F/A-18 mishap in less than one month, and brings the death toll in Marine aviation accidents to 12 since Oct. 1. At this rate, the Corps is on track for one of its worst years for aviation safety in 13 years.

After the back-to-back crashes of MCAS Beaufort, S.C.-based Hornets in two separate incidents in late June, the commander of Marine Aircraft Group 31 grounded his non-deployed fleet in an effort to force pilots to concentrate on safety. The stand-down was lifted July 8 with a gradual return to routine training for the group’s squadrons.

So far the Reserve has not decided to ground any of its aircraft after the July 21 incident.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/story.php?f=0-292925-3100107.php


Ellie


Rest In Peace

thedrifter
07-23-04, 10:48 PM
San Diego-based Marine reservists were experienced pilots, commander says

By Sarah Linn
ASSOCIATED PRESS
2:43 p.m. July 23, 2004

PORTLAND, Ore. – The two San Diego-based Marine reservists killed when their fighter jet collided with another plane over the Columbia River were experienced aviators who spent years in active duty and flew as commercial pilots, their commanding officer said.

Maj. Gary Fullerton, 36, of Spartanburg, S.C., and Capt. Jeffrey Ross, 36, of Old Hickory, Tenn., died Wednesday after the FA/18 Hornets crashed during a routine training exercise in northeastern Oregon. Fullerton was the plane's pilot; Ross was his observer.

The pilot of the other plane, 38-year-old Maj. Craig Barden of El Dorado Hills, Calif., survived with minor injuries. He is expected to be sent soon to the Balboa Naval Medical Center in San Diego for observation.

"I can't thank God enough," his wife, Cynthia Barden, said Friday from their home in the Sacramento suburb. "I'm very relieved and happy he is with us. I owe it all to God and Craig's flying skills that he made it out alive."

The Bardens have two children: 5-year-old Cole and 3-year-old Sophia.

All three men involved in Wednesday's crash belonged to a 150-member Marine reserve squadron based at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego. About 50 aviators arrived in Portland on July 11 for a two-week training mission.

Lt. Col. Jay Arnett, who commands the squadron, said the aviators were scheduled to return to the base Friday afternoon.

"Our unit is a tight-knit family and takes care of each other," Arnett said at a news conference at the Portland Air National Guard Base. "(Fullerton and Ross) were our brothers and they will be sorely missed."

According to Arnett, Fullerton had served nine years of active duty with the U.S. Marine Corps before joining the squadron more than five years ago. He worked as a pilot for FedEx Corp. in Los Angeles.

Ross had been with the unit six or seven months, but served five years of active duty beforehand, Arnett said. He was a pilot for Comair, a subsidiary of Delta Air Lines, the commander said. A spokesman for Cinncinnati-based Comair said Ross did not appear to be a current employee, based on a search of company records.

"They were both experienced Marines, both experienced pilots," Arnett said, noting that Fullerton and Ross had also been deployed overseas.

Barden served 10 years of active duty before joining the reserves seven years ago, Arnett said.

The investigation into the crash continued Friday as about 50 Oregon National Guardsmen combed the fields near Arlington for debris. They mapped and tagged bits of twisted metal, carbon fibers and other materials, Guard Capt. Misti Mazzia said.

A dozen divers from the U.S. Air Force Reserve looked for large pieces of the downed aircraft in the Columbia River, said Lt. Chris Bernard, a combat rescue officer with the Air Force Reserve.

Bernard said the divers were also searching for the planes' emergency location transmitters in the dark, swift-moving waters, in areas 60 to 100 feet deep. Authorities had earlier detected signals from the transmitters and pinpointed their locations, he said.

Mazzia said heavy barges and cranes would begin removing the wreckage from the river this weekend.

Results from the investigation are expected to be released to the public in 90 days, according to Arnett, the Marine reserve commander.

Fullerton is survived by his parents, Graham and Norah Fullerton of South Lyon, Mich. Ross is survived by his parents, Paul and Susan Gay of Madison, N.C.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/military/20040723-1443-jetscollide.html


Ellie

turbines
07-22-09, 02:10 PM
We miss Gary and Jeff on this 5th anniversary of this terrible accident. They will never be forgotten.