Prowler Crunched @ Colorado Springs

[A4sForever]

[FONT=verdana, Arial,Geneva]Whidbey Prowler Veers Off Colorado Runway[/FONT]

[FONT=verdana, Arial,Geneva][SIZE=-1]June 16, 2006 By Associated Press [/SIZE][/FONT]

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[FONT=verdana, arial,geneva]COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. - A Navy plane from Whidbey Island veered off a runway at the Colorado Springs airport Friday.

[/FONT][FONT=verdana, arial,geneva]The Prowler blew out a tire, collapsed part of the landing gear and damaged a wing. authorities said. None of the three pilots aboard was hurt.

[/FONT][FONT=verdana, arial,geneva]The plane was halfway down the runway during a refueling stop when it went off the side and about 20 feet into a grassy area.

[/FONT][FONT=verdana, arial,geneva]It was raining heavily at the time, but the cause of the accident wasn't immediately known. The Navy and the Federal Aviation Administration were investigating.

[/FONT][FONT=verdana, arial,geneva]A spokeswoman from Whidbey Island Naval Air Station says the plane was headed to Jacksonville Naval Air Station in Florida. [/FONT]

 

[bunk22]

Unfortunetly, I know that experience all to well

 

[NavyLonghorn]

Glad they are all OK.

 

[FMRAM]

Anyone know which squadron?

 

[A4sForever]

UPDATE:

June 16, 2006

Navy plane skids off runway at Springs airport

An EA-6 Prowler that skidded off the runway after blowing a tire on landing at the Colorado Springs Airport Friday afternoon. (Kevin Kreck, The Gazette)
No injuries reported

By R. SCOTT RAPPOLD THE GAZETTE
Three Navy pilots were unhurt Friday when their plane veered off a runway during a re-fueling stop at Colorado Springs Airport.

The Grumman EA-6B Prowler, out of Whidbey Island Naval Air Station in Washington, was landing around 12:40 p.m. and was about halfway down the runway when it went off the side and about 20 feet into a grassy area, said airport aviation director Mark Earle. The crew members got out of the plane on their own.

Earle said both the Navy and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the incident.

Though it was raining heavily at the time, he said it is unclear if it was weather-related or caused by an equipment problem.

He said one of the landing gears collapsed, a tire was blown and a wing was damaged.

“It appears that what happened to the landing gear occurred after it went off the runway,” Earle said.

The plane was coming from Grand Junction. Earle said there were a few minor flight delays — a few minutes each — at the Colorado Springs airport after the mishap.

A Whidbey Island spokeswoman said the plane was headed to Jacksonville Naval Air Station in Florida.

Peter Cantrup, a pilot from Espanola, N.M., landed about 15 minutes before the Navy crew.

“It was raining, at the time, cats and dogs,” said Cantrup, who was waiting in the private-plane terminal for the weather to clear. According to the National Weather Service, .64 inches of rain fell at the airport Friday — nearly as much as fell in all of May and the first half of June.

Said Cantrup, “When he landed, it looked like a boat.”

He said he saw a fragment come off the plane when it touched down, and then the plane went off the runway. A van went to meet the crew members, who were running from it in the pouring rain, and brought them to the terminal. He said they were a little shaken but seemed fine.

 

[Harrier Dude]

Do they have arresting gear at Colorado Springs? I don't have any pubs here in Japan.

 

[BigIron]

Do they have arresting gear at Colorado Springs? I don't have any pubs here in Japan.

I don't see arresting gear listed here. Here's a good link for some airport info when no pubs available.

http://www.airnav.com/airport/KCOS

 

[Harrier Dude]

I used that site to check Buckley, which I know has gear, and it's showing up, so I guess Colorado Springs doesn't. It also shows (COS) only ILS and GPS approaches. I wonder how they got in, assuming it was "pouring down rain". Can Prowlers do ILS/GPS approaches?

 

[Banjo33]

Regardless, they've probably got a GCA too.

 

[Pugs]

Regardless, they've probably got a GCA too.

Last time I was thorugh CS there was no GCA and it's not like they're adding any more. Yes, the EA-6B has civilian ILS, the 89's that I last flew were not cleared for GPS but maybe the 89A with integrated INS/GPS can.

 

[Gatordev]

Last time I was thorugh CS there was no GCA and it's not like they're adding any more. Yes, the EA-6B has civilian ILS, the 89's that I last flew were not cleared for GPS but maybe the 89A with integrated INS/GPS can.

Concur. I RON'ed at KCOS about a month ago. No GCA (I wish there had been). I don't remember seeing arresting gear either. Never had to taxi over anything.

 

[Brett327]

I know this might just be a media F-up, but it would be strange to go from Grand Junction to CS - too short. Also, Buckley is pretty much the standard go to field in the area. Makes me think they were in some kind of divert scenario. Finally, looks like most of the markings are painted over - possibly going to the depot @ St. Augustine. Kooky, to say the least. Looks like the gear is pretty mangled. I know I like to take a trap when it's that wet, but they may not have had that option.

Brett

 

[A4sForever]

Not supposing what happened here --- how could I ? WX sounds like it was in the area. That's always a consideration. But one thing I do know --- one of the toughest problems to deal with is runway (you're not flyin' now) ... lots of knots over the ground ... water ... crosswind.

Don't know if that was it --- but it might have been. That's one of the things I miss in commercial aviation --- arresting gear and a hook. Or at least the option.

Welcome back from la belle France, Brett --- I guess you will stop shaving your armpits, now ??? Qui ??? Or is it start ???

 

[Harrier Dude]

I know this might just be a media F-up, but it would be strange to go from Grand Junction to CS - too short. Also, Buckley is pretty much the standard go to field in the area. Makes me think they were in some kind of divert scenario. Finally, looks like most of the markings are painted over - possibly going to the depot @ St. Augustine. Kooky, to say the least. Looks like the gear is pretty mangled. I know I like to take a trap when it's that wet, but they may not have had that option.

Brett

If they were on a X/C enroute, maybe they flew a low-level, hence the short leg. No "multiple" turns out of most AFBs. That's pretty much a wild guess.

 

[Pugs]

looks like most of the markings are painted over - possibly going to the depot @ St. Augustine. Brett

Clean wing too, backing your idea of a NADEP run.