ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 57228
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| Date: | Tuesday 10 December 1985 |
| Time: | night |
| Type: |  Grumman A-6E Intruder |
| Owner/operator: | VA-176, US Navy |
| Registration: | 155668 |
| MSN: | I-399 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Dare County Navy Bombing Range, West of Mateo, North Carolina -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Take off |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | NAS Oceana, Virginia Beach, VA (NTU/KNTU) |
| NAS Oceana, Virginia Beach, VA (NTU/KNTU) | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
A-6E Intruder BuNo. 155668/'AE-502' of VA-176, US Navy, based at Oceana NAS: Crashed and destroyed December 10, 1985, during training flight in an un-populated area after mission over the Air Force-Navy bombing range, Dare County, North Carolina. According to the following contemporary press report:
"TWO NAVY FLIERS DEAD IN CRASH
AP , Associated Press
Dec. 12, 1985 9:48 PM ET
NORFOLK, VA. NORFOLK, Va. (AP) _ Searchers Thursday found the bodies of two Navy fliers killed when their A- 6E Intruder jet crashed on a practice bombing range in North Carolina swampland, the Navy said. The wreckage of the jet was spotted from a search helicopter Wednesday night, and Navy and Coast Guard personnel began searching at dawn, said Phil Wilkinson, a Navy spokesman here.
Cmdr. Jolene K. Keefer identified the pilot of the two-seat jet as Lt. Cmdr. Eric Tasch, 39, of Fremont, Calif., and the bombardier-navigator as Lt. Cmdr. Michael H. Doughty, 33, of Chalfont, Pa.
The plane belonged to Attack Squadron 176, based at the Oceana Naval Air Station in Virginia Beach. The crash occurred at 9:45 p.m. Wednesday in the 46,000-acre Air Force-Navy bombing range, an unpopulated area of Dare County used by military aircraft for low-level bombing practice.
The crew of the medium attack bomber had taken off from Oceana at 8 p.m., said Lt. Cam Martin, a Navy spokesman. The jet was carrying inert practice bombs and no live ammunition, he said. ''The range controller said the first indication that there was a problem was he saw a fireball,'' Wilkinson said.
A Coast Guard helicopter from Elizabeth City, N.C., and a Navy search and rescue helicopter form Oceana began searching the area immediately, Martin said. Searcher using high-powered spotlights found the wreckage during the night about two miles from the plane crew's apparent target.
The swampy, wooded terrain on the bombing range made search efforts difficult, Navy spokesmen said. The attack squadron, nicknamed the ''Thunderbolts,'' normally flies from the deck of the carrier Independence. But during the carrier's two-year overhaul in Philadelphia, the squadron has begun flying from the Forrestal, based at Mayport, Fla.
The Navy and Air Force have used the bombing range for 20 years, practicing day and night low-level bombing. Between 3,000 and 4,000 bombs are dropped on the site every month".
Both crew - Lt Commander Eric Tasch (pilot) and Lt Commander Michael H. Doughty (Bombardier/Navigator) - were killed.
Sources:
1. http://web.archive.org/web/20171103001143/http://www.ejection-history.org.uk:80/aircraft_by_type/a6_prowler.htm
2. http://web.archive.org/web/20180422222159/http://www.millionmonkeytheater.com/A-6.html
3. http://www.joebaugher.com/navy_serials/thirdseries19.html
4. https://www.findagrave.com/page=gr&GRid=51115280
5. http://www.apnewsarchive.com/1985/Two-Navy-Fliers-Dead-in-Crash/id-87e3505269b4560f0aa90dcfae822a4d
6. https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1665&dat=19851211&id=AEoaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=byYEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4783,8599823&hl=en
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 10-Jan-2009 11:55 | ASN archive | Added |
| 22-Mar-2016 01:40 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Cn, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Country, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 03-Apr-2016 19:21 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Time, Location, Source, Narrative] |
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