Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

3 Feared Dead in Navy Jet Crash

Sheriff tells local media that no one survived

By Neal Colgrass,  Newser Staff

Posted Mar 11, 2013 4:02 PM CDT | Updated Mar 11, 2013 4:30 PM CDT

(Newser) – A Navy warplane crashed in rural Washington state this morning during a training mission and may have killed all three people on board, the Spokesman Review reports. The Navy hasn't confirmed the fatalities, but a sheriff said no one survived, and the manager of a nearby airport said it looked "like an ink spot down there." The manager told Komo News that "there's a pretty deep depression, a hole in the ground, and a lot of debris scattered around."

Stationed at Whidbey Island Naval Air Station, the EA-6B Prowler flew regular training missions in Eastern Washington. The warplane is designed for electronic warfare, such as intercepting radio transmissions and jamming radar signals, and can carry anti-radiation missiles. The Northrop Grumman-built planes cost $52 million apiece.

In this photo taken on Saturday, Aug. 13, 2011, a U.S. Navy jet EA-6B Prowler approaches to land on the deck of USS George Washington in the South China Sea.
In this photo taken on Saturday, Aug. 13, 2011, a U.S. Navy jet EA-6B Prowler approaches to land on the deck of USS George Washington in the South China Sea.   (AP Photo/Na Son Nguyen)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
My TakeCLICK BELOW TO VOTE
2%
5%
87%
2%
3%
2%
To report an error on this story, notify our editors.
COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 10 comments
bt-dt-gtts-ats
Mar 12, 2013 4:14 PM CDT
Absent friends. A thing to consider; the EA-6B Intruder, much like the B-52 bomber is older than the crews flying in them. We had Intruders configured for both bombing and Wild Weasel missions on the carrier I was assigned to in the '70's. Tell Congress to spend less time and money on self-serving "pork barrel" projects and more on providing better gear and vehicles. Case in point, look up the debate over which is better, the current generation of military issue body armor or the newer DragonScale ballistic system which the government refuses to consider. 
1942
Mar 11, 2013 8:20 PM CDT
We can't comment on anything we don't know anything about.....The Navy will tell us what they want to tell us.......all we can do is surmise.  Surmise that they had ejection seats....I saw Neil Armstrong eject from a lunar lander prototype... the nan-second he knew trouble, he was out of there......Right there, his quick reaction to the trigger qualified him to be first man on the moon.  Certainly the Naval training mission was on their radar and scope and for whatever reason, the accident was unavoidable. May their families be consoled.  May their humble spirits be in the hand of the Lord. 1942
gssusarr
Mar 11, 2013 7:52 PM CDT
Rest in peace fellow peacekeepers.
US

 
plane crash • Washington state • jet • US Navy

 
NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Timelines   |   POPSUGAR Tech   |   Business Insider   |   HuffPost Entertainment   |   NewsOne