Civilian Planes Working for Navy : 4 Die as Learjets Collide Near Island

Four fliers were killed Wednesday morning when two civilian Learjets under contract to the Navy collided near San Clemente Island while on a radar training exercise.

Each of the twin-engine executive jets had two crew members, said Gary Tabbert, general manager of World Flight International, which provided the planes.

Debris from the jets was recovered by Navy ships and planes that searched the area, about 27 miles southeast of San Clemente Island, said a Navy spokesman, Chief Petty Officer Paul Versailles.

The collision occurred at 10:15 a.m. while the two planes were taking part in a training exercise involving the San Diego-based guided-missile cruiser Gridley, said Lt. Cmdr. Connie Haney of the Naval Surface Force.

The jets were simulating attacks on the ship, which would track the jets with radar and practice battle tactics, Tabbert said, adding that the Navy has been using jets contracted from the Carlsbad-based company for six years.

The company previously had provided four of the jets and two smaller turboprop planes for the Navy in San Diego. Providing planes for the military is the company’s “bread and butter,” Tabbert said.

A spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) near Los Angeles confirmed that two fliers in each plane had been killed. Neither the Navy nor the company would confirm the report by the safety board, nor would they identify the fliers.

Safety inspector Jeff Rich said the agency will not investigate the accident unless the Navy requests one.

Tabbert said the company will hold its own investigation.

“We will examine the circumstances surrounding this accident,” Tabbert said. “It was such a routine exercise. We can’t understand why it happened, and we want to know. We owe it to the families, if nothing else, to find out.”

Navy officials planned to resume a search of the crash area this morning.