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| Date: | Friday 30 September 1983 |
| Time: | 16:40 |
| Type: |  Grumman A-6E Intruder |
| Owner/operator: | VA-34, US Navy |
| Registration: | 149941 |
| MSN: | I-22 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Black Mesa, Oatman, 25 miles SW of Kingman, Arizona -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | MCAS Yuma, Arizona (NYL/KNYL) |
| ? |
A-6E Intruder BuNo. 149941/'AB-503' of VA-34, US Navy. Destroyed September 30, 1983; On instrument training flight. Crashed into the Black Mesa, Oatman, Mohave County, 25 miles south-west of Kingman, Arizona. During a heavy rainstorm the low-flying plane skimmed the top of the mesa and barely impacted a small ridge, causing it to skid along the terrain for over a quarter mile, killing both crewmen. According to the following contemporary press report from UPI, dated October 1, 1983:
"KINGMAN, Ariz. -- A Navy bomber crashed in the Black Mountains of northwest Arizona, killing the pilot and navigator, authorities announced Saturday. The A-6E Intruder was assigned to Attack Squadron VA-34 at the Oceana Naval Air Station in Virginia Beach, Va.
The victims were identified as Lt. David K. McCullough, 26, the pilot, and Lt. Nickolus Harmon, 25, the bombadier-navigator. Both were stationed at Virginia Beach. McCullough's parents live in Cropsey, Ill., and Harmon's family lives in the Phoenix area, the Navy said.
A Navy spokesman said the aircraft took off from the Marine Corps Air Station at Yuma at 4:35 p.m. Friday on an instrument navigation flight en route to Luke Air Force Base near Williams, Ariz. Residents of the Oatman area, about 25 miles southwest of Kingman, reported the crash to the Mohave County sheriff's office at 5:17 p.m.
Because of bad weather, officials were unable to reach the wreckage Friday night. Helicopters from the Department of Public Safety and sheriff's office landed at the site Saturday morning and confirmed the deaths. The Navy said the cause of the crash was being investigated."
Sources:
1. http://web.archive.org/web/20180422222159/http://www.millionmonkeytheater.com/A-6.html
2. http://web.archive.org/web/20171103001143/http://www.ejection-history.org.uk:80/aircraft_by_type/a6_prowler.htm
3. https://www.upi.com/Archives/1983/10/01/A-Navy-bomber-crashed-in-the-Black-Mountains-of/4786433828800/
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 09-Jan-2015 13:10 | gerard57 | Added |
| 02-Apr-2016 18:21 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Cn, Operator, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 15-Jun-2025 05:39 | Anon. | Updated [Source, ] |
| 03-Aug-2025 05:32 | Bulldog2150 | Updated [Destination airport, ] |
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