ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 57210
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| Date: | Monday 5 December 1988 |
| Time: | 02:15 |
| Type: |  Grumman EA-6B Prowler |
| Owner/operator: | VAQ-139, US Navy |
| Registration: | 163044 |
| MSN: | P-129 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 4 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | USS Constellation (CV-64) Pacific Ocean, 900 miles off San Diego, Cal -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | USS Constellation (CV-64) Pacific Ocean |
| USS Constellation (CV-64) Pacific Ocean | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
EA-6B Prowler BuNo. 163044/NK 606 of VAQ-139. Crashed December 5, 1988. According to a contemporary report in Flight International (see link #3): "A U.S. Navy Grumman EA-6B Prowler, BuNo 163044/NK 606, of VAQ-139, went missing over the Pacific Ocean during training exercise 900 miles off San Diego. Search fails to find any sign of the four crew.
All four crew - Lt John Wilcox Jr. (pilot), Lt. Scott Threlkeld, Lt. Brad Jacobs (ECMO-1), and Lt Commander Don Holderby - were killed. According to a contemporary newspaper report in the LA Times (see link #4):
"Local News in Brief : San Diego
December 08, 1988
The four airmen on an EA-6B Prowler that failed to return to the San Diego-based aircraft carrier Constellation from a training mission were identified Wednesday by the Navy.
They were the pilot, Lt. John L. Wilcox Jr., 29, of Carrollton, Tex.; Lt. Brad Jacobs, 28, of Ft. Pierce, Fla.; Lt. Scott D. Threlkeld, 28, of Muskogee, Okla., and Lt. Cmdr. Don M. Holderby, 38, of Dothan, Ala.
The plane was about 900 miles west of San Diego when it was reported overdue at 2:15 a.m. Monday. The aircraft was stationed at the Naval Air Station at Whidbey Island, Wash., and was part of Electric Warfare Squad 139, according to Navy spokesman Lt. Gordon Hume said."
Searchers spotted some debris, but it sank before it could be recovered. The search was later called off. Officials said a memorial service is planned at the base
Sources:
1. http://www.joebaugher.com/navy_serials/thirdseries21.html
2. http://web.archive.org/web/20171103001143/http://www.ejection-history.org.uk:80/aircraft_by_type/a6_prowler.htm
3. http://www.flight.org/aviation-history/december-05
4. http://articles.latimes.com/1988-12-08/local/me-1300_1_san-diego
5. http://newsok.com/article/2248351
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 10-Jan-2009 11:55 | ASN archive | Added |
| 04-Apr-2016 15:49 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Time, Cn, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Country, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 01-Apr-2017 18:02 | Anon. | Updated [Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Narrative] |
| 09-Jul-2017 07:03 | Anon. | Updated [Narrative] |
| 06-Mar-2019 11:14 | Anon. | Updated [Narrative] |
| 19-May-2023 18:59 | Anon. | Updated [[Narrative]] |
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