Here's the story from the Yuma local paper. I'm surprised that coverage on this incident has been sketchy.
Search continues at Harrier crash site
YumaSun.com
BY JEFFREY GAUTREAUX, SUN STAFF WRITER
Jun 17, 2005
Marines continued to comb through the crash site in south Yuma Thursday where a military jet went down Wednesday afternoon. Pieces of the AV-8B Harrier, which was no longer intact, were being picked up and categorized to aid in the investigation.
"We're cleaning up as rapidly as possible and as thoroughly as possible to make sure there are no hazards," said Col. James Cooney, commanding officer of Marine Corps Air Station Yuma. Cooney did not know when the cleanup might be completed.
The 11 homes on Ocotillo Court and Kuns Court that were closest to the area where the plane went down remained evacuated. Cooney said Marines from the Explosive Ordnance Department team were on scene to aid in the cleanup.
The Harrier crashed near 1583 Kuns Court. The pilot, who ejected from the jet prior to the crash, and two people on the ground suffered minor injuries in the accident
Scene of Harrier crash is between several homes. Sun photo by Alfred Hernandez
Cooney said that Thursday Marines were picking up ordnance, cartridge-activated devices, other hazardous materials and the pieces of the shattered plane. They were also putting wax on the carbon fibers that flaked off the plane. These fibers can pose a respiratory risk.
"The lion's share of the carbon fiber mitigation is done," Cooney said.
The pieces recovered are logged and then separated into large cardboard boxes that contain similar pieces, Cooney said. He said this systematic recovery aids the investigation and allows a recreation of the debris field.
"These boxes will be taken to MCAS and put in a hangar and sequestered where only the Aircraft Mishap Board can get to them," he said.
The AMB conducts one of two investigations that are done for each military crash.
This recovered materials can be analyzed forensically to allow investigators to determine if there was material failure or mechanical failure.
The main crash site was at the confluence of four homes, Cooney said. He said the impact crater left by the plane was only about 10 feet by 10 feet. "It's remarkably small," he said.
Nearly 1,300 homes were evacuated because of the danger posed by the live ordnance the Harrier was carrying. Thursday, only 11 homes remained evacuated.
Cooney said the Marines who are on the EOD team are highly-trained to deal with such situations.
"Their training is very, very intensive," Cooney said. "They are highly specialized and have high-level security clearance because they are dealing with munitions."
Marines cannot even get into the EOD field until they reach the rank of sergeant, Cooney said. The team is led by Capt. Jeff Corris.
EOD was also called upon June 11 when a Harrier dropped its expendables box, containing 30 flares, while it was leaving the base.
Marines responded to the intersection of Lakin Drive and Palo Verde Street Wednesday to look for the dropped flares and cartridge activated devices.
Residents of all but 52 homes were allowed to return to their homes late Wednesday night after they had been evacuated earlier in the day.
"We (were) being extremely cautious," said 1st Lt. Beatriz Yarrish, MCAS public information officer. "We want to retrieve all the hazardous material."
Yarrish said the search was halted Wednesday due to nightfall and resumed Thursday morning.
Yuma Police Chief Robby Robinson said access to the immediate crash site would remain limited today as the Marine investigation into the accident continues.
James Valenzuela, Arizona Public Service's Southeast Division manager, said power was knocked out in the vicinity of the crash site. Most of it had been restored by late Wednesday night. An undetermined number of homes in the area of Windy Lane and Kuns Court, east of Rainbow Avenue, remained without power since APS could immediately enter the crash site area to investigate the outage.
Because of the danger from the live ordnance, about 1,300 homes surrounding the crash site initially were evacuated, according to Kevin Tunell, county legislative and public affairs coordinator. The shopping center on Pacific Avenue, which includes Wal-Mart, was also evacuated.
The total number of people evacuated was unknown, Tunell said.
Robinson said residents were allowed back into their homes as soon as it was safe to do so.
Anyone within the area bounded by Arizona Avenue, Pacific Avenue, 32nd Street and 24th Street was being asked to evacuate. City spokesman James Stover said at about 6:30 p.m. the evacuation boundaries were shrunk to 24th Street, 32nd Street, James Avenue and Engler and Pacific avenues.
Those who had to leave their homes were told they could go to Gila Vista Junior High where the Red Cross was offering aid.
"We were able to manage pretty well," Assistant Fire Chief Dennis Light said of the evacuation. "Our biggest thing was getting people out. These things are done incrementally, and then you work your way out."
The pilot, who ejected successfully, was rescued by YFD in the 2200 block of 27th Way. He was taken to Yuma Regional Medical Center with minor injuries. The pilot and aircraft were from Marine Attack Squadron VMA-513.
The plane crashed between several homes and burst into flames. "One (home) suffered fire damage, and there was danger to collateral areas," Light said.
The cause of the crash is under investigation, according to MCAS spokesman Lt. Col. Mark Butler.
Military, city and county first responders rushed to the scene to put out any fires and attempt to secure the ordnance the plane was carrying. The Harrier had four 500-pound bombs and 300 rounds of 25mm ammunition, Butler said. It was also had some fuel, although much had been used during the mission.
At a 5:30 p.m. press conference Wednesday, Butler said all four of the bombs had been recovered unexploded by the MCAS Explosive Ordnance Disposal team. He said the team was in the process of locating the rounds and rendering them safe.
Pacific Avenue and 32nd Street were jammed with traffic as first responders rushed to the crash and evacuees tried to leave.
Near the crash, there was constant activity as emergency agencies tried to establish a perimeter to keep people out Wednesday, first responders tried to find their way in and people tried to sneak a look.
Wasim Muhammad was standing among the crowd at Winsor Avenue and Palo Verde Street. He said he thought the pilot was doing tricks when he first saw the plane.
"Then I saw the black smoke in the back and then I saw the pilot eject, and I knew something was wrong," said Muhammad, who lives in the area. "I thought it was going to land on top of me. It was scary, man."
Light said two people sustained injuries that were connected to the crash. Both were taken to YRMC in personal vehicles and neither sustained life-threatening injuries.
One person sustained minor lacerations to the left arm due to the accident, according to an MCAS release.
Butler said a military aircraft would never leave the base with live ordnance unless it planned to drop it during the mission. He said in this case something must have happened so the Harrier could not drop its payload.
"In fact, that happened to me a few weeks ago," Butler said. "I couldn't drop the ordnance, so I wasn't going to fly around with the ordnance, so I returned to the base."
When a plane must return to the base with live ordnance, Butler said it uses a different type of landing to decrease the amount of time it must spend over the city.
Yuma resident George Quintero said the pilot appeared to have done everything he could to avoid having the Harrier crash into homes. Quintero said he was driving on 32nd Street as the plane came in.
"I saw the Harrier coming toward me really slow, and the wings were tipping back and forth," he said. "I thought 'That's weird,' and then I saw the pilot eject, and the plane just started to nose dive."
Quintero said it appeared the plane had no power and the pilot stayed in it as long as he could to get the plane into an open area to crash. "It looked like he gave it his all," he said.
Yarrish said the speed the plane was traveling was unknown and was part of the investigation.
Light said the pilot was "disappointed" by the plane crashed when he was rescued by YFD. MCAS was not releasing any information about the pilot.
Each Harrier costs about $23.7 million, according to a Marine Corps Web site.
Butler said that there are multiple levels of safety on each bomb that the Harriers carry, so they can withstand a crash without exploding.
Officials applauded the unified effort from all of the different agencies who responded to the crash. Tunell said the coordinated response was effective in getting resources to the scene and securing the area.
The county activated its Emergency Operations Center at the Yuma County Sheriff's Office to coordinate response to the incident. Tunell said the agencies had practiced such scenarios on a regular basis. "It's unfortunate that we had to put it into action, but I think it went well," he said.
City spokesman James Stover said instituting the EOC was a standard response in an event of this magnitude. Deputy City Administrator Gary Burroughs was operating as the EOC commander.
In addition to the fire and ordnance dangers, the first responders right at the crash scene were dealing with carbon fibers that flake off the plane. Butler said these fibers can be a respiratory risk, but he said the danger was only for those right at the crash scene.
Butler said anyone who witnessed the crash and has information can call MCAS at 269-2275.
Bob and Judy Brown, who live on Ocotillo Court, said they did not see the plane as it crashed. "But we heard it," Judy said.
The Browns said they live under the flight path for the base and the airport, so they are accustomed to planes flying over. However, they said things sounded different Wednesday afternoon.
"We went out to see, and then called 911," Bob Brown said. "Then we told the police where it was, and they made us leave."
The Browns were evacuated before they could even get their vehicles. They were given a ride to the Yuma Civic Center, the initial site for evacuees, but then were told to go to Gila Vista Junior High. They hitched a ride with some others who were evacuated.
"I've never seen anything like this," Bob Brown said of the crash.
When asked how lucky it was that no one had been seriously hurt from such a large military plane crashing into a residential area, local officials had little to say except that they felt fortunate.
"We're very thankful nobody was harmed," Tunell said.
The MCAS Aircraft, Rescue and Fire Fighting division, Fire Department and Provost Marshal's Office responded to the crash as well as YFD, YPD, Rural/Metro Fire Department, the Yuma County Sheriff's Office, the U.S. Border Patrol and other agencies.
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