13 Marines disciplined over deadly jet crashThirteen US military personnel have been disciplined for their roles in a fighter jet crash in California last year that left four people dead, officials said. Marine Corps officials told reporters that the December 8 tragedy in the San Diego San Diego (săn dēā`gō), city (1990 pop. 1,110,549), seat of San Diego co., S Calif., on San Diego Bay; inc. 1850. San Diego includes the unincorporated communities of La Jolla and Spring Valley. Coronado is across the bay. suburb of University City was a preventable accident caused by mechanical problems and poor decision-making. Officials said the pilot in the crash had mistakenly opted to fly over populated pop·u·late tr.v. pop·u·lat·ed, pop·u·lat·ing, pop·u·lates 1. To supply with inhabitants, as by colonization; people. 2. areas rather than make an emergency landing approach over water at an alternative landing site. The pilot, Lieutenant Dan Neubauer, ejected safely from his stricken F/A-18D Hornet hornet: see wasp. after his second engine failed. Neubauer's plane slammed into a home in University City, killing three generations of a single family: Yoon Young-Mi, 36; her daughters, 15-month-old Grace and seven-week-old Rachel; and Yoon's 60-year-old mother. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. radio transmission tapes released Tuesday, Neubauer alerted air traffic controllers his jet was in trouble while above the ocean. "I've got, uh, down to (a) single engine ... possibly a problem with the other engine, and time, uh, fuel remaining about, uh, 20 to 30 minutes," the lieutenant advised. A controller then asked him where he wanted to land, apparently assuming that Neubauer intended to go to Naval Air Station North Island Naval Air Station North Island (NAS North Island or NASNI) (IATA: NZY, ICAO: KNZY, FAA LID: NZY) is located at the north end of Coronado Island in San Diego Bay, is the home port of several aircraft carriers of the United States Navy. , which was nearer and approachable over water. "Uh, I'm actually going to try to take it to Miramar, if possible," the pilot responded. Shortly afterwards af·ter·ward also af·ter·wards adv. At a later time; subsequently. afterwards or afterward Adverb later [Old English æfterweard] Adv. 1. Neubauer's second engine failed, forcing him to bail out in a residential neighborhood not far from where his plane crashed. Military officials said that in addition to making a faulty decision to head to Miramar, the pilot and his supervising officers violated vi·o·late tr.v. vi·o·lat·ed, vi·o·lat·ing, vi·o·lates 1. To break or disregard (a law or promise, for example). 2. To assault (a person) sexually. 3. various other emergency procedures. "Ultimately this tragic accident was avoidable through human factors," Major General Randolph Alles told reporters. Colonel John Rupp said a "complex emergency" had been "compounded by a series of well-intentioned but incorrect decisions, both inside the cockpit and in the squadron's ready room." Above all, the jet should have gone straight to the Coronado-area naval base A naval base primarily for support of the forces afloat, contiguous to a port or anchorage, consisting of activities or facilities for which the Navy has operating responsibilities, together with interior lines of communications and the minimum surrounding area necessary for local , a move that would have prevented the deadly crash. "Landing at North Island was the prudent and correct decision to make in this emergency," Rupp said. "Unfortunately, that decision was never made." Four officers were demoted while nine other Marine Corps personnel have been reprimanded. Neubauer remains grounded pending further review. 
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