Move Follows Three Recent Accidents, Two Fatalities

After suffering three aircraft accidents, two of which involved fatalities, in the past two months, the U.S. Marine Corps has ordered all non-deployed aircraft to stand down for 24 hours sometime during the next week.

The Marine Times reports that the "operational pause" was ordered by Lt. Gen. Jon Davis. Individual commanders have the flexibility to decide which day to take the pause, during which aircraft are normally inspected, according to Marine Corps spokeswoman Capt. Sarah Burns. An operational pause is not the same as grounding aircraft.

Three Marine F/A-18s have gone down in the past two months, resulting in the loss of two pilots. One of those was Blue Angels pilot Capt. Jeff Kuss on June 2. On July 28th, a Third Marine Aircraft Wing pilot, based out of Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California, was fatally injured as a result of an F/A-18C Hornet accident during a training mission in the vicinity of Marine Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, CA.

Maj. Richard Norton, a pilot with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 232, Marine Aircraft Group 11, stationed at MCAS Miramar, died as a result of the crash.  The single-seat aircraft departed from MCAS Miramar to perform a close air support mission as a part of Integrated Training Exercise 5-16, a pre-deployment training exercise taking place at MAGCC.

Then on Tuesday, an F/A-18C Hornet assigned to Strike Fighter Wing Pacific, Detachment Fallon, went down in an open field near Naval Air Station Fallon, Nevada, at approximately 10:50 a.m. PDT. The Navy pilot, who is assigned to Naval Aviation Warfighting Development Center, ejected safely from the aircraft, was recovered by emergency response personnel, and was transported to medical facilities for evaluation.

The F/A-18C Hornet was on temporary assignment to Strike Fighter Wing Pacific Detachment Fallon, from Marine Strike Fighter Squadron (VMFA) 232.

Marine Commandant Gen. Robert Neller approved the pause, according to Capt. Burns.

(Image from file)

FMI: www.marines.mil