JET CRASH KILLS TWO AT NAVAL AIR SHOW 25,000 FANS STUNNED BY TRAGEDY AT POINT MUGU.Byline: Sonia Giordani and Mariel Garza Staff Writer POINT MUGU - A QF-4 Phantom II jet crashed Saturday afternoon while performing in an air show at Point Mugu Naval Air Weapons Station, killing both crew members. Today's scheduled show was canceled after the crash, the first time a military jet went down in the nearly 40-year history of the Point Mugu Air Show, authorities said. U.S. Navy officials identified the pilot as Navy Cmdr. Michael Norman Michael Norman (born in Macomb, Illinois) is an author known for his Haunted superstitious series with the late Beth Scott (passed away in early 1994). Norman has a master's degree from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb. , 39. The plane's radar intercept officer was identified as Marine Corps Capt. Andrew Muhs, 31. Both were stationed at Point Mugu. The jet had been flying in formation with three other planes and was maneuvering for landing when it faltered, plunged and hit an open field just west of the base, exploding into flames. More than 25,000 spectators turned out for the 39th annual Point Mugu Airshow and watched in horror as one crew member ejected while the plane burst into a fireball fireball, very bright meteor leaving a trail in the sky that can remain visible for several minutes; often a distinct sound, perhaps caused by very low frequency radio waves, is associated with it. . Eyewitness An individual who was present during an event and is called by a party in a lawsuit to testify as to what he or she observed. The state and Federal Rules of Evidence, which govern the admissibility of evidence in civil actions and criminal proceedings, impose requirements Brian Dzukola, 38, said the four planes were flying about 500 feet down the runway when they broke formation. ``As this one peeled off, you could see two fireballs pop out of the back of the plane,'' he said. It looked like the pilot was struggling to save the jet, he said. Right before it hit the ground, one of the men ejected as the fated plane ignited. The crowd was paralyzed par·a·lyze tr.v. par·a·lyzed, par·a·lyz·ing, par·a·lyz·es 1. To affect with paralysis; cause to be paralytic. 2. To make unable to move or act: paralyzed by fear. and silent, Dzukola said. ``Afterward I heard a couple people crying, just sobbing. It was just really sad. The crowd got really quiet,'' he said. ``It was quiet because nobody really knew what had happened.'' The crowd was located less than a mile away from the crash site but no civilians were injured in·jure tr.v. in·jured, in·jur·ing, in·jures 1. To cause physical harm to; hurt. 2. To cause damage to; impair. 3. . ``Any time you're flying aircraft like this, there's a margin of risk,'' said Pt. Mugu spokeswoman Sarah Burford. ``It's not like getting in your car and driving down to the 7-Eleven. These are high-speed aircraft and there's a slim margin of error.'' Burford said the only other plane crash in an air show at the base occurred in the 1970s and involved a civilian piloting a World War II-era plane. Officials did not immediately know whether that crash was fatal. In August 1995, Richard Randall Fessenden, 47, of Camarillo, a veteran aerobatic performer and former Navy fighter pilot, was killed when his experimental aircraft crashed at the Santa Paula Santa Paula (săn`tə pôl`ə), city (1990 pop. 25,062), Ventura co., S Calif., on the Santa Clara River in a fertile valley that yields citrus fruits, avocados, vegetables, flowers, nursery products, and walnuts; laid out 1875, inc. Air Show. ``Personally, as commanding officer, it's an emotional time,'' said Capt. Jim Rainwater, commander of 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 Ventura County. ``Any time you lose a member of your community it's hard to deal with.'' Naval officials immediately stopped Saturday's show and escorted visitors off the base. The air show was originally scheduled to continue today but was canceled. Firetrucks and ambulances swarmed the crash site, which was behind some trees. ``Just a few seconds more and they would have crashed on my property,'' said Oxnard resident Elio Espino, whose land is adjacent to the open field where the plane crashed. He said his parents were home at the time and heard the crash. ``They were scared by the explosion. It was only a quarter-mile away,'' he said. Norman, the pilot, and Muhs, the navigator, were part of the Naval Weapons Test Squadron at Point Mugu, nicknamed ``Bloodhound bloodhound, breed of large hound whose ancestors were known in the Mediterranean region before the Christian era. It stands about 25 in. (63.5 cm) high at the shoulder and weighs between 80 and 110 lb (36.3–49.9 kg). .'' The squadron includes 63 active duty officers, 215 enlisted personnel and 73 civilian employees. Naval officials said the squadron provides research, development, testing and evaluation support for weapons and weapons system support activities. The two men were flying a QF-4 identified as Bloodhound #124. The Q is a special designation for the F-4, signifying the jet is used as a target to assist testing and evaluation for both air-to-air and surface-to-air missiles This is a list of surface-to-air missiles (SAMs). Radar-guided SAMs
prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the Point Mugu Airshow Web site. The jets play a vital role in Tomahawk tomahawk [from an Algonquian dialect of Virginia], hatchet generally used by Native North Americans as a hand weapon and as a missile. The earliest tomahawks were made of stone, with one edge or two edges sharpened (sometimes the stone was globe shaped). cruise missile cruise missile, low-flying, continuously powered offensive missile designed to evade defense systems. Although the German V-1 (1944) was a simple cruise missile, the cruise missile did not realize its potential until the 1970s, when the United States sought to operations during safety chase missions, in which the flight of the Tomahawk is monitored by the Phantom II. The jet had been flying in formation with three other jets - another F-4 and two F-14 Tomcats The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is a supersonic, twin-engine, two-seat, variable geometry wing aircraft. The F-14 was the United States Navy's primary maritime air superiority fighter, fleet defense interceptor and tactical reconnaissance platform from 1974 to 2006. - before it hit an open field owned by the Ventura County Game Preserve, also known as the Duck Club, near Casper Road in Oxnard. Rainwater said the two men were a crew, and had often flown together. Family at the Muhs' home declined to comment Saturday. Norman's family could not be reached. The Federal Bureau of Investigation Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), division of the U.S. Dept. of Justice charged with investigating all violations of federal laws except those assigned to some other federal agency. and other government agencies immediately opened an investigation into the crash. The owner of the game preserve said he was under orders from the FBI not to discuss the crash while the agency was investigating. Pt. Mugu's Burford said the FBI's presence at air shows is routine. ``These are high-performance jets. There's a margin of risk any day, and today was one of those days,'' Burford said. Saturday's crash apparently was not related to any terrorist activity, she said. CAPTION(S): 6 photos Photo: (1 -- 2 -- color) Above, a huge fireball roils into the sky after the crash of a QF-4 Phantom II during the annual air show at Point Mugu Naval Air Weapons Station on Saturday. Right, the ill-fated plane, at far right, flies in formation with another Phantom, left, and two F-14 Tomcats moments before the crash, which killed both crewmen. The air show, attended by 25,000 visitors, was canceled immediately following the crash, which was the first crash of a military jet in the show's nearly 40 years, officials said. (3 -- color) A crew member can be seen ejecting from a QF-4 Phantom jet as it crashes at the Point Mugu naval air show on Saturday. Both crewmen were killed. (4 -- color) Spectators at the Point Mugu naval air show are stunned stun tr.v. stunned, stun·ning, stuns 1. To daze or render senseless, by or as if by a blow. 2. To overwhelm or daze with a loud noise. 3. after witnessing the crash of a QF-4 Phantom jet. Phil McCarten/Staff Photographer (5 -- color) NORMAN (6 -- color) MUHS |
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