ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 57257
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| Date: | Thursday 30 August 1979 |
| Time: | night |
| Type: |  Grumman A-6E Intruder |
| Owner/operator: | VA-34, US Navy |
| Registration: | 160428 |
| MSN: | I-590 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Bald Knob, Amherst County, near Lynchburg, Virginia -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | NAS Oceana, Virginia Beach, VA (NTU/KNTU) |
| NAS Oceana, Virginia Beach, VA (NTU/KNTU) | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
A-6E Intruder BuNo. 160428/'AB-500' of VA-34, US Navy. Destroyed on the night of August 29-30, 1979 when crashed at Bald Knob, Amherst County, near Lynchburg, Virginia. Both crew killed.
According to the following press report, dated Friday May 30, 2014, about the re-discovery of the wreckage:
"The night of August 29, 1979, a severe thunderstorm warning was in effect, according to an article in the New Era-Progress the following week. Flying a twin-engine A-6 Intruder at a low level, Lt. Cmdr. Phillip M. Soucek, 28, and Lt. Cmdr. Vern M. Snyman, 34, were on a training mission run from Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia Beach to Pennsylvania, and back again.
But the mission would never be completed. The two airmen were killed when the plane struck a mountain near the three-county border. The plane was torn apart by the impact, the article states, and small pieces of the wreckage were scattered along the Appalachian Trail.
The plane was discovered the day after the accident, with Lynchburg Civil Air Patrol being the first responders. Even after the deadly accident, the area is the sight of low-flying missions.
Standing on a mountain’s summit during one hiking trip, Robert Hawkins (who re-discovered the wreckage) said a plane flew by lower than where he and his grandson were standing. “We could look down from where we were and could see the pilots in the cockpit,” Hawkins said.
According to Hawkins, the only pieces of the A-6 Intruder left on the mountain are vestiges of the wings, fuselage and various pieces belonging to the engine and landing gear. It is customary for the military to remove pieces of the plane that provide identification, such as serial numbers, he said.
Sources:
1. http://web.archive.org/web/20180422222159/http://www.millionmonkeytheater.com/A-6.html
2. http://www.joebaugher.com/navy_serials/thirdseries21.html
3. http://web.archive.org/web/20171103001143/http://www.ejection-history.org.uk:80/aircraft_by_type/a6_prowler.htm
4. https://www.flickr.com/photos/97531768@N05/21683524345
5. http://www.newsadvance.com/news/local/man-discovers--year-old-plane-wreckage-on-appalachian-trail/article_03df51be-e678-11e3-aeb5-001a4bcf6878.html
6. http://www.richmond.com/news/latest-news/lexington-man-discovers--year-old-plane-wreckage-on-appalachian/article_5b793c6e-e78b-11e3-a361-0017a43b2370.html
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 10-Jan-2009 11:55 | ASN archive | Added |
| 29-Mar-2016 19:37 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Cn, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Country, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 30-Mar-2016 16:20 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Time, Location, Source, Narrative] |
| 15-May-2021 05:37 | farmall 966 | Updated [[Time, Location, Source, Narrative]] |
| 15-May-2021 05:37 | harro | Updated [Narrative] |
| 14-Aug-2023 09:24 | Anon. | Updated [[Narrative]] |
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