3 killed as NAS Whidbey jet crashes in Eastern Wash.
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HARRINGTON, Wash. -- A U.S. Navy aircraft flying from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island crashed in Lincoln County on Monday, killing all three crewmembers who were on board.
The EA-6B Prowler went down about 10 miles outside of Harrington, Wash. just before 9 a.m.
The Navy informed Congress that the wingman of the crashed plane reported that no parachutes were deployed.
"First responders are on the scene and have reported finding partial remains of the mishap aircrew," the Navy informed Congress.
The identities of the crew were not immediately available.
The Prowler was "engaged in a low-level navigation training mission," the Navy told Congress. Whidbey Island officials said the cause of the accident was under investigation.
NAS Whidbey Island is home to the U.S. Navy's tactical electronic warfare squadrons. Crews from the base, located on Puget Sound, regularly fly across Eastern Washington for training exercises.
HaLee Walter lives nearby and said she heard a huge explosion that shook her house when the plane crashed.
"I went outside and of course I could see the smoke," she said. "The ambulance and police and fire trucks were all there and a plane had gone down and there was still another military aircraft circling."
Stan Dammel, who manages the Odessa Municipal Airport, got in his own aircraft and flew over the crash scene, which he said looked like a black ink spot on a field.
"There was no sign of an aircraft," he said. "Except there's a pretty deep depression, a hole in the ground, and a lot of debris scattered around."
Much of the plane appeared to have disintegrated on impact.
The Prowler specializes in electronic warfare such as jamming enemy radar and intercepting radio transmissions. It can also be equipped with missiles.
Whidbey Island officials said the plane that crashed was attached to Electronic Attack Squadron VAQ-129.
The EA-6B Prowler went down about 10 miles outside of Harrington, Wash. just before 9 a.m.
The Navy informed Congress that the wingman of the crashed plane reported that no parachutes were deployed.
"First responders are on the scene and have reported finding partial remains of the mishap aircrew," the Navy informed Congress.
The identities of the crew were not immediately available.
The Prowler was "engaged in a low-level navigation training mission," the Navy told Congress. Whidbey Island officials said the cause of the accident was under investigation.
NAS Whidbey Island is home to the U.S. Navy's tactical electronic warfare squadrons. Crews from the base, located on Puget Sound, regularly fly across Eastern Washington for training exercises.
HaLee Walter lives nearby and said she heard a huge explosion that shook her house when the plane crashed.
"I went outside and of course I could see the smoke," she said. "The ambulance and police and fire trucks were all there and a plane had gone down and there was still another military aircraft circling."
Stan Dammel, who manages the Odessa Municipal Airport, got in his own aircraft and flew over the crash scene, which he said looked like a black ink spot on a field.
"There was no sign of an aircraft," he said. "Except there's a pretty deep depression, a hole in the ground, and a lot of debris scattered around."
Much of the plane appeared to have disintegrated on impact.
The Prowler specializes in electronic warfare such as jamming enemy radar and intercepting radio transmissions. It can also be equipped with missiles.
Whidbey Island officials said the plane that crashed was attached to Electronic Attack Squadron VAQ-129.
That's a bad crash.
My heart goes out to the friends and families of the victims. We are grateful for the service of these soldiers and mourn their loss.
wow, not much left but a crater, very sad. Â RIP.
I have to wonder why the Navy is still using the EA6B. That is a plane that was used in Vietnam.
@hokeywolf Our military aircraft are aging. While the F22 and the JSF are cutting edge air superiority fighters, we will need to shore up the remainder of our fleet. That is only one of many reasons why we need fiscal responsibility out of DC.
@Jack_Bauer @hokeywolf The B-52 first flew in the fifty's remains the lowest cost bomber we have.  Its like a truck that just keep on going.
@Jack_Bauer @hokeywolf Gee so do you own and pay for upkeep on 30 to 40 year old computers??
Or how about a car or truck used in everyday operations..Â
Because we need to shore up our fleet of 35 year old equipment.
And you see This as fiscal responsible .??
@hokeywolfÂ
They are still flying the B52 and it was developed during the Korean war.
The EA6B is a good airframe and a very tough plane. It does it't job well and the really cool thing is that it is paid for.
@RalphCramden @hokeywolf Good point! It is a good aircraft and air frame but the Navy planes can take a real beating when they land on the deck. I will say this, the Prowler is the loudest aircraft on a carrier. I swear they can shake your fillings loose.
@RalphCramden @hokeywolf LOL yeah but I still find it surprising that they were louder than an F-14 in full afterburner. Which by the way was a very impressive sight. Especially at night. By the way, there should be 4 aircrew in a Prowler so either the story is wrong or someone is very lucky they missed the flight.
@hokeywolf
Being that the planes are really old they probably don't have the best mufflers in the world....8-}
They were on a low level training mission...they regularly fly across that area on training flight, very low level, below 400' above the ground, sometimes over 400 mph. If this was true in this case, the slightest 'something' breaking or going wrong only gives about 2 seconds at most before they hit the ground. Loaded with fuel, 400mph +, hit the ground at fairly high angle and this is just about the explosion one would expect.. I've seen similar in SAR flights looking for crashes......really sad we had to lose another crew, especially in a training flight, but training flights are almost as dangerous as the real thing.
Amen Quando,
Wow, it just disintigrated. RIP to the 3 members of our USNavy.
"There was no sign of an aircraft," he said.     Â
Could be taken a few different ways KATU
@Bio SphereLooking at the pics of the debris field...seems more like a bomb was accidentally dropped and detonated. Â Â
EA-6B Prowler seats are capable of ejecting through the canopy... hmmm....
Left of the depression appears to be a trench about 40-60 feet in length, less than 10 ft wide using the people in the foreground as scale ... seems more consistent with a bomb than an aircraft.
@str1ngb3nd3r Probably fast and low-level... remember, these are the Intruder variants designed to travel super fast, super low, in zero visibility. I minor fluctuation in pitch would have angled them into the ground without enough time to eject, and it might of happened so quickly they never knew it happened.
@Scotty9 @str1ngb3nd3r Although any plane can carry ordiance I never saw one carry any. They escort the bombers in to jam radar.
@str1ngb3nd3r I doubt that they were carrying live ordinance on a "...low-level navigation training mission,".
somehow I don't think it was plow that did that to the field.
To the Families, there are no words to convey thanks equal to the sacrifice your family has given to our Nation. Your Sons were following the Highest Calling in protecting thier fellow countrymen.
Oh my god, they hit really hard. Â Rest in Peace gentlemen.
RIP, thank you for your service.
Wow its like triple the material when compared the flight 93 that crashed in Pennsylvania on 9/11?  How can this be?
@portlandborn83 Different impact angle, different velocity, different payload. Two stones skipped across the same water rarely do so identically.
@portlandborn83Â Who said that flight 93 site was a passenger flight??
Oh Wait ..
Looking at that picture I think you can remove the word "feared" from the title. Shame. RIP
"Fear dead" not like they walked away from that one. RIP heroes.
Sad...I hate hearing about our servicemen dying. I am thankful that they have given their lives - even in training - so we can have freedom in this land.Â
RIP...
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@Welfair Chick @washcomom What draft are you talking about?
@Welfair Chick That freedom is the thing you are enjoying by being able to say such disrespectful, selfish things and not being punished by the authorities. That freedom is gives you the right to your own opinion, just as it gives me my right to disagree with your stance. That freedom wasn't just given to you without charge. It was paid for in blood by servicemen past.
You have the freedom to not like it. But it doens't change the facts. Quit kidding yourself.
@Dr. Rawdog @Playanekes Excuse me? I don't speak quack.
@Vault101Overseer @@Welfair Chick @@washcomom  If ten guys with guns showed up at WelfairTroll's house and said "B---h, when we're done using you for pleasure you're mowing our lawns, because you're property now" it would be military types, not hippies, who stopped it.
The drug wars and extreme violence in northern Mexico are examples.
I agree WelfairTroll that we need less of a military presence. There's money to be made. Nathan Bedford Forrest was one of the richest men of his time. It will be much easier, of course, once the liberals disarm each other.