Posted on 03/03/2006 1:06:00 PM PST by A.A. Cunningham
Developing Story: Navy aircraft down in Oregon
Associated Press
Last updated: Friday, March 03rd, 2006 12:59:11 PM
PENDLETON, ORE. -- Umatilla County emergency services reports that a plane from Whidbey Island Naval Air Station has gone down in the county.
Public information officer Pete Wells in Pendleton says witnesses saw four parachutes.
He says the crash occurred at 11:28 in the northern part of that county.
Whidbey Island Naval Air Station is home to the US Pacific Fleet's Electronic Attack Wing Pacific, which includes 14 squadrons of the Navy's EA-6B Prowler Electronic Warfare aircraft, which carry a 4-man crew.
According to the Defense watchdog website Globalsecurity.org, EA-6B Prowler jets from Whidbey Island use the Boardman Bombing Range, which was decommisioned in 2000, for low-level training flights. The Boardman Bombing Range is west of the Umatilla Chemical Depot in neighboring Morrow County.
More details as they become available.
"witnesses saw four parachutes."
Good news. Hope all are okay.
Isn't the EA-6B Prowler being replaced by an version of the F-18 (Electronic Warfare version)?
Bush's fault!
EA-6B - I worked a recovery out in Nevada on a midair between two - no, probably not good to say what the nickname was for the jets - between two EA-6Bs. One went over the top of the other, killed all four on the bottom aircraft - a very messy accident site.
Hope all OK, parachutes good sign.
oh great. we've only got a handfull of these planes to begin with.
Prayers and a reminder of how dangerous even training can be.
It is...the EF-18G "Growler." Same suite of electronics meant for the EA-6B (ICAP III) shoe-horned into a F-18F.
Probably won't be shoe-horned INTO an F-18 I would guess. Lotsa conformal crap hanging on the hardpoints and the VSs.
An F-18 with gold canopies will look pretty cool though.
"wintesses saw four parachutes" Good news....
Yes, very good news. But why would the plane be ditched? In or Ex terior obstruction?
The EA-6B aircraft operating on that military route are often visible as you drive along I-84 in the area.
I mean flying American Military planes over Oregon should be considered dangerous duty.
Some sort of engine failure would be my guess....
My family has a cabin in Central Oregon, and I remember well the times when the Oregon ANG would fly over on their way to this bombing range. They flew F101 Voodoos back then, and they'd be hill-hopping at high transsonic speeds. Those things literally screamed as they went by....
Ahhhh, still one of my very favorite memories.
PENDLETON, ORE. -- Umatilla County emergency services reports that a plane from Whidbey Island Naval Air Station has gone down in the county.
Public information officer Pete Wells in Pendleton says witnesses saw four parachutes. A dispatcher with the Umatilla County sheriff's office said first word from the scene was that four people aboard survived without serious injury.
The crash occurred at 11:28 in the northern part of Umatilla County.
Whidbey Island Naval Air Station is home to the US Pacific Fleet's Electronic Attack Wing Pacific, which includes 14 squadrons of the Navy's EA-6B Prowler Electronic Warfare aircraft, which carry a 4-man crew.
According to the Defense watchdog website Globalsecurity.org, EA-6B Prowler jets from Whidbey Island use the Boardman Bombing Range, which was decommisioned in 2000, for low-level training flights. The Boardman Bombing Range is west of the Umatilla Chemical Depot in neighboring Morrow County.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Yes...shoe-horned in. The ALQ-99 pods will hang on the wings just like the EA-6B. And they are anything but conformal.
Back in 1981 while I was at Whidbey with VAQ-129, I had to secure a Sky Pig crash at OLF/ALF Coupeville. The three onboard punched out, while the aircraft was rolling inverted, into the trees. Mess is an understatement.
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