ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 259690
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| Date: | Monday 9 September 1968 |
| Time: | 16:41 |
| Type: |  North American RA-5C Vigilante |
| Owner/operator: | US Navy |
| Registration: | 149280 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | off USS Ranger, Northern California off coast of Big Sur -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Landing |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | |
Crashed at sea off USS Ranger.
Lost at sea, both crew fatal. RVAH-3, carrier qualifications.
USS RANGER DECK LOG (Northern California Op Area W-283) Time 1641 Hours While landing RA-5C 149280 side #305 carried away #1 arresting wire and crashed into water off port side in 1812 fathoms of water (10,872’) at 36 21.4N 122 30 7.0W. Left full rudder, port engine back 1/3, commenced maneuvering on various courses and speeds while avoiding plane in the water and commencing search and rescue operations. Time 1642 (plane guard) USS Truxtun (DLGN-35) commenced search for survivors. Time 1657 USS Truxtun lifeboat recovered Lt(jg) Kirby. Time 1708 Lt(jg) pronounced dead on arrival. Time 1827 Secured from search and rescue operations for lost aircraft, LtCommander W.L. Woolf was not recovered.
Crew was killed.
LtCmndr Wesley L. Woolf
BN Lt(jg) Kenneth J. Kirby (US Naval Academy)
First day at sea, carquals, a tractor was used to pull out No.1 wire to check it. They retracted it but did not reset it. Vigilante hit the wire, stretched it as far as it would go, then went off the angle. Went into water intact, popped back up and drifted along port side of ship. They could see 2 empty cockpits and later found only a helmet.
Sources:
http://www.forgottenjets.warbirdsresourcegroup.org/A-5.html
Vigilante! ; Pilot’s Story: 1,200 Hours Flying The Ultimate US Navy Reconnaissance Aircraft / CDR Robert R. “Boom” Powell, 2019
USS Ranger Deck Logs
Location
Images:
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 25-Nov-2023 13:44 | ChrisB | Updated [Time, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Location, Country, Phase, Source, Narrative, Category, Photo] |
| 26-Dec-2023 11:22 | ChrisB | Updated [Aircraft type] |
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