Navy Jet Crash Kills 3 Fliers at Miramar Base

Navy investigators on Saturday combed through the wreckage of an electronic surveillance aircraft that crashed at the Miramar airfield here while practicing carrier-type landings, killing three airmen.

The twin-engine EA-3B Skywarrior jet crashed around 10 p.m. Friday about three-quarters of a mile south of the main runway at the Miramar Naval Air Station, the Navy said. The aircraft was about to begin practicing nighttime landings on a simulated carrier deck when it experienced unknown problems and crashed on base property, said Lt. Ed Mapes, a base spokesman.

The aircraft broke apart on impact, he said.

The dead airmen were identified as Daniel C. Smith, 32, of McLean, Va., David Madison, 27, of Johnstown, Pa., and Herbert Plath, 20, of Schenectady, N.Y.

At Miramar, the Navy maintains a painted carrier deck on a runway designed to simulate carrier landings. The length and lighting of the painted deck are similar to those found on aircraft carriers.

The EA-3B is the latest evolution of the dependable A-3 aircraft, originally introduced into the fleet in the 1950s as an attack bomber and later used for photo reconnaissance and in-flight refueling.

Friday’s crash is the first of a Miramar-based craft since March 21, when an F-14 jet fighter experienced difficulty on takeoff and crashed in an unpopulated area five miles northeast of the base. In that incident, both crew members ejected safely.