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Harrier crashes; pilot OKBy JOYCE CHRISTIEStaff WriterThe pilot of an AV-8B Harrier jet safely ejected before his aircraft crashed Monday afternoon approximately 60 miles southeast of Yuma.The crash happened at 1:05 on the Barry M. Goldwater Air Force Range daring a routine training mission, said Capt. Winston Jimenez, Marine Corps A*r Station Yuma spokesman.The aircraft was carrying four 1,000-pound bombs when it crashed.The pilot, Capt. Samuel Hayden Smith, and his aircraft were among a squadron of 10 deployed to MCAS Yuma from the Marine Corps Air Station at Cherry Point, N.C.The squadron arrived in Yuma Friday and is scheduled to train here through August.Smith was taken by MCAS Search and Rescue to Yuma Regional Medical Center, where he was treated and released.A native of Princeton, N.J.. he has been a Marine Corps pilot for four years.His Harrier was one of two taking part in a training exercise over the range when the mishap occured, Jimenez said.The aircraft and ordinance have been located and MCAS officials are conducting a recovery mission.Harriers cost about $27 million each.Cause of the accident is under investigation. Jimenez said.He added that he has not heard anything about whether the jets will be grounded for a while as a result.Harriers with Model 406 engines were temporarily grounded after the crash of a Yuma^based Harrier Oct. 18 during a training exercise at Twentynine Palms, Calif. The pilot safely ejected.That was the fourth Harrier i crash in the Yuma area in 1996 and the 20th jet lost in four years by the i- Marine Corps.3 Two weeks earlier on Oct. 7,c Yuma-based pilot Capt. Dale W. a Mulkey was killed when his Harrier 3 exploded during a live ordnance training exercise over the Chocolate s Mountain Gunnery Range 60 miles 1 northwest of Yuma.Both those aircraft had been fit-1 ted with the 406 engine. The Harrier ^ in Monday’s crash had another type g of engine.0 There were also Harrier crashesin the Yuma area on Feb. 29 andMarch 25 of 1996. s Yuma-based pilots in both in-______ * 1 _ J
Newspaper Details
Yuma Sun
Yuma, Arizona, US
Tue, Aug 12, 1997
Page 3
Full Page
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Yuma C.
AZ, USA 10 Aug 2023
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