Image courtesy Stan Damme
Three people are dead after a Whidbey Island-based Navy EA-6B Prowler crashed Monday morning west of Spokane. (Image courtesy Stan Damme, with Odessa Municipal Airport)

Three reported dead in crash of NAS Whidbey Island jet

BY Josh Kerns  on March 11, 2013 @ 10:37 am (Updated: 3:42 pm - 3/11/13 )

Three people are dead after a Whidbey Island-based Navy aircraft crashed in Eastern Washington Monday morning.

The EA-6B Prowler crashed just after 9 a.m. in a field west of the small town of Harrington, west of Spokane.

Authorities report all three crew members on board died.

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. "All three onboard are presumed dead."

The identities of the crew were not immediately available.

"The thoughts and prayers of northwest Washington are with the families of the aircrew who lost their lives today," said U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Wash., who represents the Whidbey Island area. "This tragic crash is a painful reminder of the dangerous work that members of the armed services perform every day in service to our nation."

The state House of Representatives observed a moment of silence Monday in response to the crash.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said the crew of the plane was serving the nation.

"I know all Washingtonians join me in sending condolences to the crew's families and to their fellow service members," Inslee said.

U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., also said her prayers were with family members of the crew.

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 the home of all Navy tactical electronic attack squadrons flying the EA-6B Prowler, a four person jet being phased out in favor of the two person EA-18G Growler.

The Prowler is used for electronic warfare such as jamming enemy radar and intercepting radio transmissions. While it can carry up to three electronics officers along with a pilot, it is generally flown with a three-member crew.

Navy aircrews regularly fly across Eastern Washington for training exercises, according to a spokesman for the base.

The crash occurred in a rural area between the towns of Harrington and Odessa, about 50 miles west of Spokane. Aerial views of the crash site showed a large crater in a farm field, surrounded by blackened vegetation. Much of the plane appeared to have disintegrated on impact.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Josh Kerns, MyNorthwest.com Reporter
Josh Kerns is co-host of KIRO Radio's Seattle Sounds (Saturday nights 7-8) and a digital content producer for MyNorthwest.com.
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Comments (13)


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  • messiah101 wrote...
    Last two summers
    March 11, 2013 11:22 am
    On several occasions I had Prowlers fly about 200 ft and 400mph over my head on Lake Roosevelt while kayaking.These guys train for their missions at low level and high speed the slightest error can be deadly.RIP to the Navy aviators
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • maplefish wrote...
    M101
    March 11, 2013 8:12 pm
    I too have witnessed the precision with which these aviators train. Absolutely amazing. R.I.P. heros.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • CH wrote...
    TWO THINGS:
    March 11, 2013 12:16 pm
    why did they fly low? Why did they not bail?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • messiah101 wrote...
    CH
    March 11, 2013 12:27 pm
    In the military you practice the mission the way you fly the mission.At low altitude the ejection system can't help you if you even have the chance to hit the button..Think about how long it takes a aircraft to cover the short distance to the ground
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • RonJ wrote...
    The ejection system will get you out
    March 11, 2013 2:39 pm
    as soon as the handle (not the button) is pulled, no matter the speed, altitude or attitude. If your flying upside down and eject, your gonna eject. If no one had a chance to eject (the pilot can initiate ejection for all crew members (command eject) or each individual can eject) or knew they had to, my guess is they were in the goo and had no clue where they were. I reckon there is a measure of solitude in the fact that they never knew what hit them.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • messiah101 wrote...
    RonJ
    March 12, 2013 6:48 am
    Yes the ejection system still gets you out of the aircraft but if your too low it doesn't have time to slow your fall.In this case I'd guess those aboard had no opportunity to eject.Speed and distance offsets the safety features
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • 2112 wrote...
    Around Harrington
    March 11, 2013 12:28 pm
    It is relatively flat, rolling hills at most but it gets socked in with heavy fog often at this time of year. I would have thought they would be on instrumentation.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • WaGig wrote...
    I can only imagine what families..
    March 11, 2013 12:45 pm
    On Whidbey are feeling right now... Pictures of the crash sight are devastating. It is unlikely they were flying a low level mission as you can see it is a farmers field, IE Private property. The plane also left a substantial crater which would be caused by a higher angle of attack in relation to the ground at impact. A low flying plane would likely "skip" when crashing on a flat field. there are two likely causes of the accident. One is IFR (instrument flight rules) and pilot entered a dive unknowingly. This is unlikely due to the high level of training to be a navy pilot. The much more likely is that during a high 'g' maneuver the pilot blacked out. A third but highly unlikely (i mean barely worth mentioning) is that there was some kind of catastrophic in flight damage which caused a sudden high 'g' turn leading to blackout of all on board.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • RonJ wrote...
    The training level of the pilot
    March 11, 2013 2:33 pm
    may not be as high as that of a seasoned pilot. The plane was from VAQ-129, which trains pilots on this aircraft after they leave flight school or after they have been out of community for awhile. It could very well be a rookie mistake. Or a mechanical failure. These aircraft are not able to perform sustained high-G maneuvers. The airframe is too old which is why they are being phased out. In fact they're not allowed to land on carriers anymore.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Runt wrote...
    Too Soon to Speculate
    March 11, 2013 1:41 pm
    It is far too soon to speculate on the cause of the accident. No matter the cause, be it mechanical failure or pilot error, we lost three brave Americans today. These aircrew are exceptionally well trained and the aircraft they fly receive the finest maintenance possible. That said, sometimes jets break and sometimes aircrews make mistakes. The margin for error is slim and the time to recover is extremely short. Rather than try to guess the cause of the mishap, I will grieve for those we lost and their families.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • jpetro wrote...
    So sad
    March 11, 2013 3:08 pm
    RIP
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • DesertRez wrote...
    RIP
    March 11, 2013 3:44 pm
    I was an avionics guy on this airframe. Condolences to the families.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }