Date:	Thursday 6 March 1969
Time:
Type:	Lockheed P-3B Orion
Owner/operator:	United States Navy
Registration:	152765
MSN:	185-5210
Year of manufacture:	1966
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 6 / Occupants: 6
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed, written off
Category:	Accident
Location:	Lemoore-NAS/Reeves Field, CA (NLC) -   United States of America
Phase:	Landing
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	Lemoore NAS/Reeves Field, CA (NLC/KNLC)
Destination airport:	Lemoore NAS/Reeves Field, CA (NLC/KNLC)

Narrative:
The P-3 Orion aircraft was on a practice GCA approach to Lemoore-NAS/Reeves Field, CA (NLC). The aircraft nosed down at the approach end of the runway then flared nose high with an excessive sink rate. It touched down on the port main landing gear, then the starboard main landing gear, followed by the fuselage section just forward of the mad boom striking the runway. The port wing broke inboard of the #2 engine on or shortly after touchdown and separated from the fuselage. The fuselage slid down the runway and came to rest off the left side of the runway approximately 1100 feet from the approach end. The port wing continued approximately 300 feet beyond the fuselage. Both parts were engulfed in flame.
The power levers were at the flight idle position at impact. Investigation concluded that an attempt was made to decrease the sink rate by establishing a nose high attitude prior to impact and the aircraft was in a stalled or near stalled condition with minimum power set.

PRIMARY CASUAL FACTOR: Poor pilot landing technique.
CONTRIBUTING FACTOR: The instructor failed to take over control in time to prevent the accident.

Naval Safety Center HAZREP
US Crashes 1950-2002 / Jan van Waarde
US Navy and US Marine Corps Aircraft Serial Numbers and Bureau Numbers--1911 to Present / Joe Baugher
VPNavy.org

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