ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 77217
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| Date: | Tuesday 18 December 1984 |
| Time: | |
| Type: |  Grumman A-6E Intruder |
| Owner/operator: | VMA(AW)-533 USMC |
| Registration: | 158535 |
| MSN: | I-518 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Lake Kissimmee,south-west Osceola County, Florida -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | Patrick AFB, Brevard County, Florida (COF/KCOF) |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
A-6E Intruder BuNo. 158535/'AA-511' of VMA(AW)533, US Marine Corps, based at Cherry Point MCAS, North Carolina. Whilst Temporarily stationed at Patrick AFB, Crashed on December 18, 1984 during training mission over Avon Park Bombing Range on an island into Lake Kissimmee. According to the following contemtporary press report ("Orlando Sentinel May 21 1986):
"2 Deaths Blamed On Pilot Error Report: Flaps Didn't Cause Jet To Crash
May 21, 1986|By John J. Glisch of The Sentinel Staff
COCOA — Pilot error has been blamed for a 1984 crash in Osceola County that killed two Marine Corps airmen on maneuvers from Patrick Air Force Base, according to a U.S. Navy report.
Although the Marine A-6E Intruder jet was flying without four of eight wing flap louvers against the recommendation of maintenance engineers, that did not play a major role in the accident, the report said.
The louvers direct air flow over the jet's wings and help control the aircraft's maneuverability. According to the report, it was ''undesirable'' to fly without all eight flaps. The pilot, Lt. Stephen Atwell, 25, and navigator-bombardier, Capt. Jake Gray, 33, were killed on Dec. 18, 1984, after the engine of their A-6E stalled while traveling at the speed of sound.
The jet slammed into a marsh at the edge of Lake Kissimmee in southwest Osceola County. The men died from head injuries suffered when they ejected from the aircraft seconds before impact. The engine stall probably was caused when Atwell tried to avoid a bird, cloud or another A-6E participating in maneuvers from Patrick, stated the report, which was obtained under the Freedom of Information Act.
The report said Atwell ''failed to utilize proper stall recovery techniques'' when the aircraft's engine stopped. The jet was attached to the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing in Cherry Point, N.C. Several A-6E jets from the wing were temporarily based at Patrick as part of a 10-day training operation with the Air Force's 549th Tactical Air Support Training Group.
The A-6E piloted by Atwell was en route to the Avon Park Gunnery Range in Polk County when it crashed. The Montgomery, Ala., native had logged 89 hours in Intruder jets. In the weeks before the accident, Navy flight engineers recommended against flying A-6E jets without all eight flap louvers, the report stated.
The A-6E flown by Atwell had three flap louvers missing from the left wing and one from the right wing. The engineers feared missing flaps would not allow pilots to notice the vibration a jet undergoes in the moments before an engine stall occurs. They also said missing louvers would increase the jet's drag."
Both crew - 1st Lt. Stephen J. Atwell (pilot, 25, from Montgomery Alabama) and Captain Jake T. Gray (bombarider/navigator, 33, from Lubbock, Texas) - were killed
Sources:
1. http://web.archive.org/web/20171103001143/http://www.ejection-history.org.uk:80/aircraft_by_type/a6_prowler.htm
2. http://www.joebaugher.com/navy_serials/thirdseries20.html
3. http://web.archive.org/web/20180422222159/http://www.millionmonkeytheater.com/A-6.html
4. http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1986-05-21/news/0220300010_1_a-6e-atwell-jet
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 07-Sep-2010 14:30 | ASN Archive | |
| 03-Apr-2016 17:42 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Operator, Location, Phase, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 03-Apr-2016 17:44 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Location] |
| 28-Dec-2019 17:31 | stehlik49 | Updated [Operator, Operator] |
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