Navy jet rolls into S.D. Bay on landing
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By David E. Graham
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
August 27, 2004
A Navy fighter jet lay in San Diego Bay after missing its landing last night at North Island Naval Air Station. The pilot ejected before the jet hit the water.
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Raise the 'Lucky'
CORONADO – Efforts will begin this afternoon to recover a $40 million F/A-18C Hornet jet that crashed into San Diego Bay while landing at the U.S. Naval Amphibious Base in Coronado, base officials said.
The Navy pilot managed to eject before the plane crashed into the water around 8:40 p.m. yesterday, and he was not injured, Navy and Coast guard officials said.
The plane, which is mostly still in one piece, will be lifted onto a barge later today, according to Steve Fiebing, a base spokesman.
"Preparations are under way right now to get the plane out of the water," Fiebing said late this morning. "A small amount of fuel leaked from the plane, but it is being contained at this time. There were no major fuel spills."
It was unclear why the jet overshot the runway last night, Fiebing said. The pilot told rescuers that the plane's brakes failed.
The runway typically used by Navy pilots was closed and the pilot was landing on an unfamiliar runway, a Navy spokesman told KNX radio in Los Angeles.
The cause of the crash is under investigation, Fiebing said.
The shaken pilot was not injured, but he was taken to San Diego Naval Medical Center for examination and was in good condition, Coast Guard officials said. His name was not immediately released.
The plane, belonging to Strike Fighter Squadron 151 attached to the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln, had flown from the ship to North Island, Navy officials said.
A Navy fighter jet ended up in San Diego Bay last night after it ran out of runway while landing at North Island Naval Air Station.
The lone pilot ejected before the plane hit the water, and he ended up in the bay and was pulled from the water, officials said. The pilot, apparently uninjured, told rescuers his brakes failed.
The plane, an F/A-18C Hornet from a carrier off the coast, was partially submerged in the bay last night.
"The pilot was unable to stop the aircraft and ended up just beyond the runway," said Cmdr. Ed Buclatin, a spokesman for Naval Air Forces.
He was taken to San Diego Naval Medical Center, where he seemed in good condition, Buclatin said.
The nickname "Lucky" was painted on the side of the plane by the cockpit.
U.S. Coast Guard and San Diego Harbor Police helped rescue the pilot.
The plane, in Strike Fighter Squadron 151 with the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln, had flown from the ship to North Island, Buclatin said.
The Lincoln is now off the coast. Buclatin said he did not know why the Hornet had come to North Island.
In March, two military planes crashed in the county.
On March 10, a Marine UC-35D Cessna jet went down at Miramar Marine Air Station when it was trying to land. Four Marines died.
On March 29, a Navy F-14 Tomcat, from Oceana Naval Air Station, Va., crashed into the sea about two miles off Point Loma, after it reportedly developed engine problems. The two-man crew ejected safely and two Navy contract employees in a nearby boat rescued them.
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Navy jet hauled out of bay
SIGNONSANDIEGO NEWS SERVICES
9:30 p.m. August 27, 2004
SignOnSanDiego
A $40 million F/A-18C Hornet jet that crashed into San Diego Bay while landing at the U.S. Naval Amphibious Base in Coronado was hauled out of the water Friday night, an official said.
CORONADO – A $40 million F/A-18C Hornet jet that crashed into San Diego Bay while landing at the U.S. Naval Amphibious Base in Coronado was hauled out of the water Friday night, an official said.
The plane was hauled onto a barge by a crane and will be taken to a Navy pier, put on a tractor trailer and taken to a hangar, said Steve Fiebing, public affairs officer at the Naval Base Coronado.
"The aircraft appears to look in pretty good shape," Fiebing said.
Whether it will ever fly again "depends on the structural damage," Fiebing said.
Planes that crash into salt water can be cleaned up, but there was also damage when the pilot ejected from it, Fiebing said.
The Navy pilot managed to eject before the plane crashed into the water around 8:40 p.m. yesterday, and was not injured, Navy and Coast Guard officials said.
It was unclear why the jet overshot the runway Thursday night, Fiebing said. The pilot told rescuers that the plane's brakes failed.
The runway typically used by Navy pilots was closed and the pilot was landing on an unfamiliar runway, a Navy spokesman told KNX radio in Los Angeles.
The cause of the crash is under investigation, Fiebing said.
The shaken pilot was not injured, but was taken to San Diego Naval Medical Center for examination and was in good condition, Coast Guard officials said. His name was not immediately released.
The plane, belonging to Strike Fighter Squadron 151 attached to the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln, had flown from the ship to North Island, Navy officials said.
"Is that a Ninos sub? Right on...those are some good subs. Not as good as ours of course, but still good." -Subway employee.
Edited by - Lunatock on Aug 29 2004 09:34 AM
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