WARCHILD
Babyface
http://www.nbc4.tv/news/1409574/detail.html
I was at this show yesterday...Everything was fine,the F-4s were beautiful. I took pix, saw the pilots, saw the very same demonstration that the guys were doing when this happened. Ive been to numerous shows, nothing ever happened. It occurred to me yesterday, that something could go wrong, i did have this gnawing feeling that something was gonna happen, but i pushed it aside,nothing was gonna go wrong...it didnt, but then today, this happens.
Not as many people go to the shows that are held on weekdays, and i wanted to go to todays show, but my friend was only going to be able to go on Friday, and the only way i could get to this show(about a 45 minute drive) was to go with him. So, i had to forget about going on Saturday/Sunday, and go Friday instead. As fate would have it, that turned out to be a good thing.
I couldnt have handled seeing that accident. I would have fallen apart.
They died doing what they loved...
Navy Jet Crashes During Airshow, Killing 2 Aboard
Plane Bursts Into Flames About 150 To 200 Feet Off Ground
POSTED: 1:25 p.m. PDT April 20, 2002
UPDATED: 3:36 p.m. PDT April 20, 2002
VENTURA, Calif. -- A low-flying F-4 crashed Saturday during an air show at the Point Mugu Naval Air Weapons station, killing its two
crew members, U.S. Navy officials said.
The Navy jet crashed at 12:20 p.m., bursting into flames when it hit the ground on the west side of the base, said spokesman Vance
Vasquez. Fire crews took 10 minutes to put out the fire.
Navy officials withheld identification of the dead crew members until they could notify their families. Eyewitnesses said one of the crew
members ejected from the jet as it flew less than 200 feet above the ground before crashing.
The jet and its crew had been taking part in the 38th Point Mugu Airshow. It was performing with five other military aircraft when it
crashed.
Eyewitness Jim Hardie said the plane was banking right when a sudden burst of flame came from the engine area.
"We saw a real, quick flash in the middle of the toss of flames," Hardie said.
The plane was about 150 to 200 feet off the ground when it exploded, added Hardie, who was about a quarter-mile from the crash.
"As it continued to make the turn, you heard 'pop, pop' as both engines probably let go," said Craig Cooper, another eyewitness.
Cooper said he then saw one of the crew members eject sideways from the plane.
"The chute was probably not open before he hit the ground," Cooper said.
There were no known injuries on the ground, said Vasquez, adding the plane went down in a remote area of the base.
The show was ended and the thousands of spectators were told to leave the base after the crash. Vasquez said the show was scheduled to
continue Sunday.
The jet was a QF-4 Phantom II, assigned to the Naval Air Weapons Test Squadron at Point Mugu. The Q designation means the plane is
used as a target by the Navy, Vasquez said.
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{ AIM HIGH }
[This message has been edited by WARCHILD (edited 04-20-2002).]
I was at this show yesterday...Everything was fine,the F-4s were beautiful. I took pix, saw the pilots, saw the very same demonstration that the guys were doing when this happened. Ive been to numerous shows, nothing ever happened. It occurred to me yesterday, that something could go wrong, i did have this gnawing feeling that something was gonna happen, but i pushed it aside,nothing was gonna go wrong...it didnt, but then today, this happens.
Not as many people go to the shows that are held on weekdays, and i wanted to go to todays show, but my friend was only going to be able to go on Friday, and the only way i could get to this show(about a 45 minute drive) was to go with him. So, i had to forget about going on Saturday/Sunday, and go Friday instead. As fate would have it, that turned out to be a good thing.
I couldnt have handled seeing that accident. I would have fallen apart.
They died doing what they loved...
Navy Jet Crashes During Airshow, Killing 2 Aboard
Plane Bursts Into Flames About 150 To 200 Feet Off Ground
POSTED: 1:25 p.m. PDT April 20, 2002
UPDATED: 3:36 p.m. PDT April 20, 2002
VENTURA, Calif. -- A low-flying F-4 crashed Saturday during an air show at the Point Mugu Naval Air Weapons station, killing its two
crew members, U.S. Navy officials said.
The Navy jet crashed at 12:20 p.m., bursting into flames when it hit the ground on the west side of the base, said spokesman Vance
Vasquez. Fire crews took 10 minutes to put out the fire.
Navy officials withheld identification of the dead crew members until they could notify their families. Eyewitnesses said one of the crew
members ejected from the jet as it flew less than 200 feet above the ground before crashing.
The jet and its crew had been taking part in the 38th Point Mugu Airshow. It was performing with five other military aircraft when it
crashed.
Eyewitness Jim Hardie said the plane was banking right when a sudden burst of flame came from the engine area.
"We saw a real, quick flash in the middle of the toss of flames," Hardie said.
The plane was about 150 to 200 feet off the ground when it exploded, added Hardie, who was about a quarter-mile from the crash.
"As it continued to make the turn, you heard 'pop, pop' as both engines probably let go," said Craig Cooper, another eyewitness.
Cooper said he then saw one of the crew members eject sideways from the plane.
"The chute was probably not open before he hit the ground," Cooper said.
There were no known injuries on the ground, said Vasquez, adding the plane went down in a remote area of the base.
The show was ended and the thousands of spectators were told to leave the base after the crash. Vasquez said the show was scheduled to
continue Sunday.
The jet was a QF-4 Phantom II, assigned to the Naval Air Weapons Test Squadron at Point Mugu. The Q designation means the plane is
used as a target by the Navy, Vasquez said.
------------------
{ AIM HIGH }
[This message has been edited by WARCHILD (edited 04-20-2002).]
