Jet on Navy Training Mission Crashes, Kills Pilot
Ventura County and Navy firefighters
examine the scene where a military jet crashed into a field near Naval Station
Ventura County near Port Hueneme, Calif., killing the pilot Wednesday, Oct. 29,
2014. The plane crashed and disintegrated at around 5:15 p.m. (AP Photo/FLMedia,
Johnny Corona) The Associated Press
A jet on a military
training exercise crashed into an agricultural field near a Southern California
Navy base Wednesday, killing the pilot, authorities said.
The plane
disintegrated when it hit the ground at about 5:15 p.m. as it was preparing to
land at Naval Station Ventura County. The crash sent a huge plume of billowing
black smoke into the sky 65 miles northwest of Los Angeles.
The pilot,
the only person aboard, was pronounced dead at the scene, said Ventura County
fire Capt. Mike Lindbery.
Nobody on the ground was
hurt.
"Fortunately nobody was in that portion of the field," Lindbery
said.
The plane, a civilian fighter jet contracted by the Navy, had just
finished playing the role of an enemy aircraft in an offshore training exercise
and was preparing to land at the naval station when it went down across the
street in a field near the Pacific Coast Highway, base spokeswoman Kimberly
Gearhart said.
She said it was unclear whether the pilot reported any
problems before the crash.
Federal Aviation Administration spokesman
Allen Kenitzer said the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board were
investigating.
The British-built, single-seat Hawker Hunter
MK.58 was owned by Airborne Tactical Advantage Co. of Newport News,
Virginia. The company, known as ATAC, provides aerial training to the military,
including the Navy's elite Fighter Weapons School.
"The company has
ceased flight operations during preliminary investigations," company spokesman
Matt Bannon said.
Bannon declined to release the pilot's name but said he
was a retired military pilot who was "extremely proficient and knowledgeable
about fighter tactics and operating high-performance aircraft."
"Our
heart and prayers are with the family," Bannon said.
The Hawker Hunter is
a single-seat, swept-wing fighter and ground attack plane that was originally
designed in the 1950s. More than 2,000 were produced. ATAC describes it as "one
of the classic fighter designs of all time."
Wednesday's crash was the
third near the Ventura County base in recent years.
In May 2012, another
Hawker Hunter owned by ATAC crashed into a farm field near the base, killing the
57-year-old pilot. That plane had also been contracted to play the enemy in
training exercises.
In May 2011, three members aboard a Boeing 707 tanker
loaded with jet fuel escaped with only minor injuries when their aircraft
skidded off the runway while taking off from the base and exploded into flames.
That plane was carrying civilians and had a Navy contract to provide fuel
transport.
Abonner på:
Legg inn kommentarer (Atom)
Ingen kommentarer:
Legg inn en kommentar
Merk: Bare medlemmer av denne bloggen kan legge inn en kommentar.