Navy plane crashes in eastern Tennessee

The Tennessean ^ | 03/30/04 | Associated Press

[pnz1]

Pilot ejects, breaks ankle; TVA says jet hit power lines

SPRING CITY, Tenn. — A Navy F-18A fighter jet crashed near a rural highway yesterday, but the Navy was unsure if the pilot clipped power lines over a lake before he ejected and suffered a broken ankle.

Lt. J.G. ''Ken'' Shade, commander of Naval Reserve Force Public Affairs in New Orleans, said the pilot, Navy Reserve Cdr. Kevin T. Hagnstad, broke an ankle when he ejected from the one-seat training jet that crashed near U.S. 27 about 10 a.m. CST.

A Tennessee Valley Authority spokeswoman said high-voltage lines 75 feet over the Watts Bar Lake were severed and fuel tanks were jettisoned in the water. Neither she nor the Navy could say if that happened before the pilot ejected miles away.

''He hit the lines first, then he dumped the fuel and then he crashed, but the causes for all of those we don't know,'' TVA spokeswoman Lucha Ramey said.

Shade said any pilot in distress tries to jettison fuel before a crash.

''As for the power lines causing the crash, we don't know,'' Shade said. ''We are currently investigating the accident.''

Shade said the jet was one of two returning to Naval Air Station Atlanta from the Tri-Cities Regional Airport in Blountville. Shade said he was unsure if the jets had participated in a weekend flyover at the Bristol Motor Speedway.

[billorites]

Been a bad week for the Navy. Lost three aircraft I believe. No fatalities thank Heavens.

[cyclotic]

Excuse my ignorance, but is there such a thing as a one-seat training jet?

[TruthNtegrity]

Ueah but isn't that Hornet $40 Million a copy?

Ouch. Hope they don't make him put it on his credit card. (J/K).

[TC Rider]

The one that went down at RDU is still laying crumbled by the tarmac here in Raleigh, NC.

[yawningotter]

Perhaps the pilot was engaged in some low level "training" on his way home. I've seen quite a few combat jets flying low over lakes. They are good landmarks to key on for navigation, and they tend to be away from populated areas, at least when the summertime tourists are not around. There are an abundance of high tension power lines crossing most lakes, however, which can really sneak up on a pilot not familiar with the area, especially at fighter jet speeds.

[CathyRyan]

This may answer the question as to why my dog started to go nuts. She is 11 and never, I mean never, went nuts before like she did last night. She barked and howled (No matter how many times I told her to shut up) I finally had to get up and go outside with her to look around) I live in the East TN area.

[dljordan]

That's some rough country up there. Lot's of hills and mountains.