Search Continues for Marine Airplane With 2 Aboard

A Marine Corps observation plane with two crew members aboard disappeared on a practice run over the Southern California desert, prompting a search that failed to turn up any sign of the aircraft by late Friday.

The twin-engine OV-10A Bronco left Camp Pendleton at 11:30 a.m. Thursday and was due back three hours later, said 1st Lt. G.C. Browne, spokesman for the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing headquartered in El Toro. The aircraft, from Marine Observation Squadron 2, Marine Aircraft Group 39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, was on a photo reconnaissance mission over the desert, said gunnery Sgt. Bob Torres.

A search was conducted over an area between Yuma, Ariz., and Twentynine Palms when the plane--carrying a three-hour fuel supply--was declared missing.

Names of the pilot and an observer aboard the aircraft were not released. The plane was based at Camp Pendleton in San Diego County.

Browne said the aircraft is used by the Marine Corps for forward air control and observation. In combat, he said, the plane is used to spot enemy aircraft for interception by fighter jets. The pilot sits forward and the observer in the rear.

The last crash of an OV-10 Bronco occurred in December, 1987, when the pilot and observer were killed on a routine mission in the desert near Palm Springs.

The plane is a multipurpose two-seater used primarily for reconnaissance, including artillery and naval gunfire fire control. The two-engine propeller-driven craft is built by Rockwell International.

The plane is the earliest model of Broncos manufactured by Rockwell. According to Jane’s: All the World’s Aircraft, an authority on world aircraft specifications, Rockwell built 271 of the OV-10As before moving on to other models.

Deliveries of the most recent model, the OV-10D, were completed in 1980, according to Jane’s. In addition, 17 Marine Corps’ OV-10As have been outfitted for night observation surveillance.