ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 57191
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| Date: | Sunday 21 July 1991 |
| Time: | |
| Type: |  Grumman A-6E Intruder |
| Owner/operator: | VA-176, US Navy |
| Registration: | 155708 |
| MSN: | I-434 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Mediterranean Sea, off Aygonise Island, 40 miles north of Crete -
 Greece
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | USS Forrestal (CVA-59) Mediterranean Sea, off Crete |
| USS Forrestal (CVA-59) Mediterranean Sea, off Crete | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
A-6E Intruder BuNo. 155708/AE-500 of VA-176, based on board the USS Forrestal. Crashed July 21, 1991 into the Mediterranean, off Aygonise Island, 40 miles north of Crete. Possible cause of the accident was premature detonation of a practice bomb on the aircraft. Of the two crew, the pilot Lt Steven Jay Cullen USN ejected, but was posted as missing in the Mediterranean. Later deemed as killed/body not recovered. The bombardier-navigator Lt John Warren Musaus ejected, and sustained left arm and leg injuries. According to a contemporary press report:
"NAVY CITES COMPLACENCY IN FATAL CRASH
AP Associated Press
Oct. 9, 1992 5:00 PM ET
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP)
A Navy report places most of the blame for the crash of an attack jet during bomb detonation training on the pilot and the bombardier-navigator for not studying procedures. Lt. Steven J. Cullen, the pilot of an A-6E Intruder, parachuted from the burning plane over the Mediterranean on July 19, 1991, but his body was never found. The bombardier-navigator, Lt. John Musaus, ejected and was rescued.
''The bottom line in this investigation is a lesson we have all sadly learned before. Complacency kills aviators,'' Capt. J.M. Smith said in the report obtained by The Florida Times-Union under the Freedom of Information Act. Smith is chief of staff for the Atlantic Fleet Naval Air Force.
Investigators said they had no evidence that Cullen reviewed bomb detonation procedures and Musaus told them he never himself reviewed the procedures. The report cited two in-flight mistakes: the interval of bomb releases was shorter than authorized and could have caused bombs to collide and detonate below the jet, and Cullen failed to pull up and away after the bomb drop. At the time of the crash, the plane was with the USS Forrestal, then based at Jacksonville."
Sources:
1. http://web.archive.org/web/20180422222159/http://www.millionmonkeytheater.com/A-6.html
2. http://www.joebaugher.com/navy_serials/thirdseries19.html
3. http://web.archive.org/web/20171103001143/http://www.ejection-history.org.uk:80/aircraft_by_type/a6_prowler.htm
4. https://www.findagrave.com/page=gr&GRid=49173236
5. http://peacetime-casualties.mooseroots.com/l/32298/Steven-Jay-Cullen
6. http://www.apnewsarchive.com/1992/Navy-Cites-Complacency-in-Fatal-Crash/id-7bb6dce59b4489b802e4ed86e516f51b
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 10-Jan-2009 11:55 | ASN archive | Added |
| 05-Apr-2016 17:07 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Cn, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Country, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
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