Jet with four aboard crashes at Miramar
MIRAMAR ---- A military jet with four people aboard crashed about a half-mile short of the runway at Miramar Marine Corps Air Station on Wednesday night, authorities said.
There was no immediate report of whether anyone survived.
The jet went down in a brushy area near Interstate 15 and Miramar Way during an attempted landing, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Bruce Nelson said.
The aircraft known as a Utility Cargo-35 or modified version of a Cessna Citation was reportedly practicing an instrument landing when it went down at an area of the base known as Camp Elliot, according to California Highway Patrol Officer Larry Landeros.
A motorist called the patrol at 8:42 p.m. to report seeing an explosion, and emergency crews were at the scene a short time later putting out a fire, Landeros said.
There was a light fog in the area where the plane went down.
"They were (flying) blindly," Landeros said. "Motorists said they saw flames and heard an explosion."
The crash of the occurred about one mile east of I-15 near Miramar Road, Nelson said.
A Marine Corps pilot who came to an area near the crash site said he believed two of the people aboard were pilots and the other two were crew chiefs. The man, who declined to give his name, also said he believed the flight was a training mission and that the aircraft is a transport plane for high-ranking military officials.
Further details were not available.
http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2004/03/11/news/breaking/3_10_0421_25_38.txt
11:27 p.m. March 10, 2004
Military jet crashes near Marine base in Miramar; 4 feared dead
A military jet carrying four Marines crashed Wednesday night as it approached Miramar Marine Corps Air Station, officials said.
The plane was identified by the Federal Aviation Administration as a UC-35D, a military version of a twin-engine, Cessna Citation 560 corporate passenger jet.
The plane burst into flames after hitting the ground.
It crashed at 8:42 p.m. in a semi-brushy area east of Interstate 15 and Miramar Way where the Cedar fire had burned. It was about a half-mile short of the runway, FAA spokesman Bruce Nelson said.
Late reports said there were no survivors.
It was not immediately known what caused the plane to crash so close to landing, Nelson said. Foggy conditions were reported along the I-15 corridor Wednesday evening.
"Right now we really don't have too many facts," said Lt. John Niemann, a Marine spokesman.
Military and San Diego fire crews went to the site. The military took over the investigation, Nelson said.
Though rare, there have been previous crashes in the Miramar area where the military base is surrounded by housing and businesses.
In March 1987, an F-14 Tomcat fighter jet crashed near Poway, east of I-15 in an unpopulated area while on a routine training mission. No one was injured.
In March 1985, a fighter jet from Miramar crashed in a parking lot in Sorrento Valley, but there were no serious injuries.
In March 1978, an F-14 Tomcat struck a pickup on I-15 while on approach for landing. One F-14 crew member was killed and two occupants of the truck were injured.
In December 1981, an A-4E Skyhawk crashed east of I-15 between Scripps Ranch and Santee.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/military/20040310-2327-crash-late.html
