Firefighters combed through the debris of a Virginia apartment complex yesterday after a US Navy F/A-18D jet crashed into it, triggering a massive inferno, but injuring only nine people.
Three people were unaccounted for, Virginia Beach Fire Department Captain Tim Riley said. All but six of the most--damaged two-story apartments had been searched with no fatalities reported, he said.
“What I’m praying for, what I’m thinking about now, is that we don’t find any more victims,” Virginia Beach Mayor Will Sessoms said.
Photo: EPA
Part of the jet’s wreckage lay on the grass behind some buildings after emergency teams doused the area with foam to tamp down the blaze.
Authorities were still scouring the charred remains of about 40 apartment units after the massive blaze ignited by the crash blew off the roofs of buildings and swept through top floors.
The two crew members ejected safely from the jet which hit a populated area in the eastern coastal tourist resort of Virginia Beach, officials said. US Navy Captain Mark Weisgerber blamed a “catastrophic mechanical malfunction” for the crash. Governor Bob McDonnell said officials were hoping to confirm a “Good Friday miracle,” with no loss of life.
The specifics of the mishap were still unknown, Weisgerber said, but added that it resulted in the “forced ejection” of the crew — a local student pilot in the front seat and an experienced instructor in the back.
Sessoms said that nine people had been injured, including the pilots.
Sentara Healthcare said all but one of the seven people taken to hospital with non life-threatening injuries had been released. Only one of the pilots remained at Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital.
“The crew is doing well. They suffered some minor injuries and the latest report is that they’re up and about and both coherent and doing well,” Weisgerber said.
McDonnell hailed the pilots, saying their last-minute ejection and the quick response from emergency workers on the ground had likely “saved a lot of lives.”
Witnesses said the plane came down suddenly and that the spilling of jet fuel may have exacerbated the flames.
“The buildings were starting to collapse,” Zack Zapatero said. “I did not see anyone running out and I was told that there’s a bunch of senior citizens that live in those buildings, which worries me a lot.”
“It was just unbelievable. Law enforcement was really quick to get on the scene, but the amount of jet fuel that you could just smell on the ground, it didn’t seem right,” he said.
Another witness, Jon Swain, described how the plane smashed into the apartment block.
“There were flames coming out of its engine at the back, which I just thought was afterburn or whatever ... but the plane got lower and lower. I saw one pilot eject,” he said. “It hit it dead center, and yeah, it’s pretty traumatic. There were a few people running from the building.”
Another witness, Joanna Highet, also said the plane was very low and had disappeared out of her line of sight behind some trees.
“Initially, we heard nothing, and then when the smoke started after about 15, 20, 30 seconds we heard an explosion,” she said. “We drove back and saw lots of black smoke and the apartment complex on fire from both ends.”
The F-18 jet was assigned to Naval Air Station Oceana. The crash took place in an area known as Hampton Roads that is home to many US military facilities, including the world’s largest naval base, Naval Station Norfolk.
Oceana, which is a vast complex with more than 10km of runways, is manned by 14,600 military personnel and home to 19 fighter squadrons.
It will shut down for the remainder of the weekend and will resume flight operations tomorrow, Naval Air Force Atlantic said.
The navy said in a statement that it was “continuing to coordinate with local authorities, and the cause of the accident is under investigation.”
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source
SHOT IN THE ARM: The new system can be integrated with Avenger and Stinger missiles to bolster regional air defense capabilities, a defense ministry report said Domestically developed Land Sword II (陸射劍二) missiles were successfully launched and hit target drones during a live-fire exercise at the Jiupeng Military Base in Pingtung County yesterday. The missiles, developed by the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology (CSIST), were originally scheduled to launch on Tuesday last week, after the Tomb Sweeping Day holiday long weekend, but were postponed to yesterday due to weather conditions. Local residents and military enthusiasts gathered outside the base to watch the missile tests, with the first one launching at 9:10am. The Land Sword II system, which is derived from the Sky Sword II (天劍二) series, was turned