thedrifter
07-24-03, 11:48 AM
Marines release name of pilot who died in crash
1:22 p.m., July 23, 2003
SAN DIEGO – The Marine Corps pilot who died when his jet crashed during a training flight was identified today as Capt. John Berger, 27, of Sonora.
Berger was the sole occupant of an F/A-18C Hornet that went down at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palm at about 11 p.m Tuesday.
The aircraft was assigned to Fighter Attack Squadron 232, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, said MCAS Miramar public affairs 1st Lt. Carolyn Nelson.
Investigators are working to determine the cause of the crash.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/military/20030723-1322-jetcrash.html
Sempers,
Roger
:marine:
May He Rest In Peace
Semper Fi, Capt. Berger....you are honored...
thedrifter
07-24-03, 07:07 PM
Marine returned recently from Iraq
By Jeanette Steele
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
July 24, 2003
A Marine fighter pilot recently home from the war in Iraq died Tuesday night when his F/A-18C Hornet crashed during a training mission over the Mojave Desert, the military said yesterday.
Capt. John T. Berger, 27, based at Miramar Marine Corps Air Station, was flying the single-seat jet when it went down at 11 p.m. near Twentynine Palms.
Few details were immediately available, and Miramar spokesman 1st Lt. John Niemann said the cause of the crash was under investigation. It was not disclosed whether Berger had ejected.
Berger, whose hometown is Sonora in Northern California, was newly married, Marine officials said. Family members declined to comment when reached at his Santee home.
Berger's commander called the pilot's death a great loss.
"He was an outstanding F/A-18 pilot, a proven combat aviator based on his performance during Operation Iraqi Freedom," Lt. Col. Michael Burt said.
The Hornet is the chief strike and fighter aircraft for the Navy and Marine Corps. They come in one-and two-seat models and can take off from and land on aircraft carriers.
Berger's unit – Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 232, the "Red Devils" – returned from the Persian Gulf on May 9.
Its pilots flew hundreds of bombing and reconnaissance missions over Iraq from a base in Kuwait without losing a plane.
The squadron had a sterling safety record. Before Thursday's accident, it had flown more than 96,000 flight hours without a crash – equal to eight to 10 years of flying, a Miramar spokeswoman said.
Then-Navy Secretary Gordon England gave the unit a safety award in November, noting that the Red Devils held the Marine Corps record for accident-free flight hours.
However, Berger's was the fourth $29 million Hornet to crash in the region in two years.
In January, two Miramar aviators were rescued after their F/A-18D jet developed an unspecified problem, leading them to eject. The plane crashed into the ocean off San Clemente Island.
An Air Force pilot training in a Miramar F/A-18D crashed off the Mexican coast in November during a solo training flight. The pilot ejected and was rescued.
An East Coast-based Marine F/A-18D crashed in February, 2002, while training in the same area as Berger was. In that crash, the pilot and weapons systems officer both ejected, but only the pilot survived.
Marine Hornets also experienced maintenance headaches in 2001. Two Miramar-based F/A-18s were grounded after cracks were found in a critical wing part during inspections. The Navy issued a mandatory inspection order for 774 F/A-18 Hornet jets at the time.
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Jeanette Steele: (760) 476-8244; jen.steele@uniontrib.com
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/military/20030724-9999_2m24hornet.html
Sempers,
Roger
:marine: