Posted on 03/10/2004 11:33:46 PM PST by Drago
As pointed out previously, the aircraft was a Marine UC35, the militarized version of a Cessna Citation.
The military Learjet version is the C21A, quickly and easily identified by its T-tail configuration.
UC35:
C21A:
Remains of four Marines found in Miramar crash
MIRAMAR ---- Four Marines aboard a small military jet were killed when the plane crashed on approach to Miramar Marine Corps Air Station, a base spokesman said Thursday.
The twin-jet UC-35D, a modified version of the Cessna Citation, smashed into the ground shortly before 8:45 p.m. Wednesday, 1 1/2 miles east of the base airstrip, authorities said. It was the first deadly crash on the base in more than 20 years.
"There were no distress signals," Capt. Michael J. Friel, base spokesman, said at a news conference Thursday just outside the base.
The wreckage caught fire in brushy terrain already blackened in October by the Cedar fire. Drivers on nearby Interstate 15 called the California Highway Patrol to report an explosion and flames.
Friel said a five-member military aircraft mishap board will investigate the crash, but it could take up to a year before the probe is finished. Military investigators were working Thursday at the site.
The names of the Marines, all assigned to Miramar, were withheld pending notification of their families. Friel declined to say whether the pilot, co-pilot and two crew members were regular or reserve Marines.
"Both of those pilots were very experienced," the captain said.
Offering his "deepest condolences and heartfelt sorrow" to the victims' families, Friel said Marines mourn the loss of the crew.
"All of these were Marines serving our country," he said. "They're fighting the war against terrorism."
Jesse Rey Acuna, 29, of Mira Mesa, a security guard at the base exchange, described the mood on base Thursday as somber.
Acuna said he was shocked, disappointed and saddened by the crash, and he said others on base appeared to be feeling much the same.
"I guess people are kind of numb now, because of the war," he said. "They're sad ... for this to happen, it's another thing."
The plane's four-man crew was with a unit that has more than 80,000 hours in the air without mishap, base spokesmen said. The unit, which they declined to name, earned a 2002 aviation safety award.
The UC-35D crew was returning to Miramar after a safety familiarization and proficiency flight to Grand Junction, Colo., to maintain their skills, Friel said. He said it was a routine training mission.
The plane, which can be used to transport people such as military officials and legislators, left Miramar at 4:15 p.m. Wednesday, said the captain. It arrived at 6 p.m. in Grand Junction, he said, and headed back to Miramar, home of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing.
The National Weather Service reported a light fog and slight wind at the end of the runway about the time of the crash. Visibility was about 1 1/4 miles, Friel said.
The pilot was on instrument approach when the plane crashed, said the captain. The air station's aircraft firefighting recovery team and San Diego fire crews searched late into the night for survivors.
Don Walker, San Diego spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration, said his agency isn't investigating the crash because the military investigates its own air accidents.
"They have their own air traffic system," Walker said. "It's almost like a parallel system."
A National Transportation Safety Board employee said an investigator was heading to the crash site. The investigator couldn't be reached for comment.
Military plane crashes at the base are rare, reports show.
While Miramar was still a Navy air station, an F-14 Tomcat fighter jet on a training mission crashed in March 1987 near Poway. There were no injuries.
The most recent fatal crash at the air base was in March 1978. An F-14 Tomcat approaching for a landing struck a pickup truck on I-15. One of the plane's crew members died and the two people in the truck were injured.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Contact staff writer Jo Moreland at (760) 740-3524 or jmoreland@nctimes.com.
http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2004/03/12/news/top_stories/3_11_0422_50_35.txt
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