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Wed, Apr 21, 2004

How I Survived A Mid-Air With A Chinese Fighter

USN Lt. Shane Osborne Out With New Book

The US Navy Memorial is hosting a book signing with Navy Lt. Shane Osborn on Tuesday, May 4. Osborn is a Navy EP-3 pilot who was forced to land his spy plane in Chinese territory to save his crew of 24.

Osborn will be on hand to talk about his book, "Born to Fly: The Untold Story of the Downed American Reconnaissance Plane," in the Navy Memorial's Arleigh and Roberta Burke Theater at 7:30 p.m.

His book details the incident that occurred on April 1, 2001, when Osborn and his EP-3 crew were on a routine surveillance mission in international airspace over the South China Sea. Two Chinese F-811 jet fighters intercepted the slow-flying U.S. Navy aircraft. One Chinese pilot flew so erratically that his jet collided with the EP-3's left propeller. The collision chopped the Chinese plane in half, killing the pilot. The EP-3's nose blew off and the aircraft sustained such further damage that it fell into a steep near-inverted dive. Shane, his two fellow Navy pilots and engineers, overcame the nearly impossible and kept the crippled plane in the air. They had no choice but to land at the nearest airfield at Lingshui Naval Air Base on the Island of Hainan.

The Chinese then captured the 24 crew members and ruthlessly interrogated Lt. Osborn over the next 11 days. After he and the crew won their freedom, Osborn was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for courage and superb airmanship and the Meritorious Service Medal for leadership.

After the incident, Lt. Osborn remained in the Navy flying combat missions over Afghanistan from November 2001, through February 2002.

Currently he is serving at the Washington Navy Yard on the Navy's Discharge Review Board.

Osborn will be available to sign his book at the Navy Memorial, following his talk in the theater. His book will be available for sale, on site, at the US Navy Memorial's Ship's Store.

The US Navy Memorial is located in the heart of the nation's capital on 7th and Pennsylvania Ave., in northwest Washington (DC). It is adjacent to the Archives/Navy Memorial Metro Stop.

FMI: www.lonesailor.org

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