Date:	Tuesday 28 December 1982
Time:	13:30
Type:	Grumman EA-6B Prowler
Owner/operator:	VAQ-129 US Navy
Registration:	158808
MSN:	P-38
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 3
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	NOLF Coupeville, Island County, Washington -   United States of America
Phase:	Approach
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	NAS Whidbey Island, Washington (NUW/KNUW)
Destination airport:	NAS Whidbey Island (NUW/KNUW)
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
EA-6B Prowler BuNo. 158808/'NJ-904' of VAQ-129, US Navy, based at NAS Whidbey Island. Lost December 28, 1982 when practicing touch-and-go landings at Naval Outlying Field Coupeville (KNRA/NRA) a military airport located two miles (3 km) southeast of Coupeville, Washington, in Island County about 10 miles south of NAS Whidbey Island.

All three crew - Student Pilot Lt Commander Mike Jenkin, Lt David Dillon and Lt (JG) David Palmer - were Killed. According to the following eyewitness reports:

"A/C from VAQ-129 was conducting touch & go landings at OutLying Field, Coupeville, WA. A/C was in process of making low level right turn when loss of power occurred. A/C rolled to port as crew attempted to eject in heavily wooded area next to runway, resulting in 3 fatalities - Student Pilot Lt CDR Mike Jenkins, Lt David Dillon, LtJG David Palmer.

David Palmer was my roommate - I was the last one to talk with him prior to his flight. He was recovering from a cold and I cautioned him to not fly due to potential inner-ear complications. Since it was only FLPs, he decided to fly."

"I was at OLF Coupeville. VAQ-129 Day Field carrier landing practice. Student Pilot LCDR Mike Jenkins, Lt David Dillon, and one student (father was an USAF Colonel) in the back seat all ejected too low in a 135 degree angle of bank in the turn to downwind landing pattern.

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_Outlying_Field_Coupeville
2. http://www.joebaugher.com/navy_serials/thirdseries20.html
3. http://web.archive.org/web/20171103001143/http://www.ejection-history.org.uk:80/aircraft_by_type/a6_prowler.htm
4. http://nigelrsadler.webspace.virginmedia.com/ea6production.htm
5. http://www.military.com/daily-news/2014/03/12/navy-pilot-error-caused-prowler-crash-that-killed-3.html

A U.S. Navy Grumman EA-6B Prowler (BuNo 158808) from Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 132 (VAQ-132) "Scorpions" aboard the aircraft carrier USS Constellation (CV-64). VAQ-132 was assigned to Carrier Air Wing 9 (CVW-9) aboard the Constellation for a deployment to the Western Pacific and the Indian Ocean from 26 September 1978 to 17 May 1979. The EA-6B 158808 later crashed 35 km south of Oak Harbor, Washington (USA), during a training flight on 28 December 1982 while in service with VAQ-129. Three crew members were killed.

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
10-Jan-2009 11:55	ASN archive	Added
01-Dec-2011 23:46	Anon.	Updated [Time, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Location, Country, Departure airport, Destination airport, Narrative]
19-Mar-2015 20:40	rosnbex	Updated [Source, Narrative]
01-Apr-2016 20:15	Dr.John Smith	Updated [Time, Cn, Operator, Other fatalities, Location, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Embed code, Narrative]
13-May-2016 14:27	Anon.	Updated [Narrative]
07-Jul-2023 20:14	Nepa	Updated [[Narrative]]