Date:	Wednesday 18 September 1991
Time:
Type:	Grumman A-6E Intruder
Owner/operator:	VA-85, US Navy
Registration:	154148
MSN:	I-283
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	USS America (CV-66) Norwegian Sea, in Vestfjorden -   Norway
Phase:	Take off
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	USS America (CV-66) Norwegian Sea,off Havesfjord
Destination airport:	USS America (CV-66) Norwegian Sea,off Havesfjord
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
A-6E Intruder BuNo 154148/AB 511 of VA-85, US Navy, on board the USS America (CV66). Departing Norfolk,Virginia, in August 1991 for eight weeks, she became the first carrier to pass into Vestfjorden, Norway. Less then two months later, the USS AMERICA departed on 2 December 1991 for her second deployment of the year. This uneventful six-month cruise would see the USS AMERICA return to the Persian Gulf, and thus become the first carrier to redeploy to the region following the Gulf War.

BuNo. 154148 crashed September 18, 1991 into the Norwegian Sea, in Vestfjorden, Norway, during exercise "North Star '91". The aircraft lost an engine on catapult launch. Both crew ejected as the aircraft hit the water. The two crew were Lt Rick "Twig" A. Labranche (pilot) and Bombardier/Navigator Lt T. L. Fox who ejected out of envelope (sideways!) and survived.

1. Flight International 13-19 May 1992 p.28 at https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1992/1992%20-%201224.html
2. http://web.archive.org/web/20180422222159/http://www.millionmonkeytheater.com/A-6.html
3. http://www.joebaugher.com/navy_serials/thirdseries19.html
4. http://web.archive.org/web/20171103001143/http://www.ejection-history.org.uk:80/aircraft_by_type/a6_prowler.htm
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norwegian_Sea

A U.S. Navy Grumman A-6E Intruder from Attack Squadron 85 (VA-85) "Black Falcons" catches the arresting cable as it lands aboard the aircraft carrier USS America (CV-66) during exercise North Star '91. The NATO exercise tested the ability of participating forces to respond to multiple threats in a harsh environment and was held from 10 to 19 September 1991 in the North Atlantic, the Norwegian Sea and the fjords along Norway’s coastline.

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
10-Jan-2009 11:55	ASN archive	Added
14-Jan-2009 11:55	harro	Updated
05-Apr-2016 17:27	Dr.John Smith	Updated [Cn, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Country, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Embed code, Narrative]
05-Aug-2021 18:54	Pekka	Updated [Location, Narrative]