VPNAVY VP-9 Mishap - Soviet Shot Down 22JUN55 - No Loss Of Life
http://www.vpnavy.org
VPNAVY Address

MishapVPU-1 MishapMishap

1930's

MishapsMISHAPs: 20 OCT 2008 A/C: EP-3E P3 Orion LOCATION: Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan TYPE: Ran Off Runway SRIKE: Yes DEATHS: 00 BUNO: 158573

UPDATE "...Report: Pilot in crash behind on training - By Andrew Tilghman - Staff writer - Posted : Monday Jun 29, 2009 5:52:57 EDT..." WebSite: NavyTimes http://www.navytimes.com/ [30JUN2009]

Waiting for permission to post entire article.

UPDATE WebSite: CenterSeat http://www.centerseat.net/ [12DEC2008]

History - Tap To Enlarge ThumbnailHistory - Tap To Enlarge ThumbnailHistory - Tap To Enlarge ThumbnailHistory - Tap To Enlarge ThumbnailHistory - Tap To Enlarge Thumbnail


UPDATE "...P-3 Orion Pilot Relieved of Duty - 12/03/2008..." WebSite: The Times Record http://www.timesrecord.com/ [05DEC2008]

BRUNSWICK — A Navy pilot whose plane crashed in Afghanistan on Oct. 21 has been relieved of his post, naval officials announced Tuesday.

Capt. James Hoke, Commander of NAS Brunswick, Maine CPRW-5, has relieved Cmdr. Llewellyn Lewis, who was the commanding officer of the NAS Brunswick, Maine-based Special Projects Squadron One (VPU-1) "due to loss of confidence in his ability to command," according to a Navy press release issued Tuesday.

The release said additional corrective action will be taken at the end of an investigation of the October aircraft mishap in Afghanistan.

Base spokesperson John James said Lewis and his crew returned to Brunswick shortly after the crash. He said while it's common for an officer to be separated from administrative duties after a crash, it's less usual for an administrative officer to be relieved of his command.

In Lewis's stead, Cmdr. Craig Lee has assumed command of the squadron.

Lee started leading the squadron on a temporary basis after a P-3 Orion Lewis was piloting overshot a runway at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan and crashed. During the incident, the aircraft's right main landing gear collapsed and both right engines caught fire.

No one was killed in the crash although one crew member sprained an ankle as a result, James told The Times Record in October.

But the crash, which was the first in 30 years involving a NAS Brunswick, Mainek-based P-3, rendered the plane out of commission and represents a multi-million-dollar loss. P-3 Orions, 23 of which fly out from Brunswick, were last produced for the U.S. Navy in 1990 for $36 million apiece.

UPDATE History ThumbnailCameraVPU-1 Mishap WebSite: CenterSeat http://www.centerseat.net/ [30NOV2008]

UPDATE "...Squadron CO fired after Afghanistan P-3 crash - By Andrew Tilghman - Staff writer - Posted : Monday Oct 27, 2008 6:32:37 EDT..." WebSite: NavyTimes http://www.navytimes.com/ Forwarded by NETTLES, Bullet Bob bulletbob_1@email.msn.com [28OCT2008]

Waiting for permission to post entire article.

UPDATE "...Navy reassigns commander of P-3 that crashed - Rachel_Ganong@TimesRecord.Com - 10/24/2008..." WebSite: TimesRecord http://www.timesrecord.com [25OCT2008]

BRUNSWICK — Navy officials have temporarily reassigned the officer piloting a NAS Brunswick, Maine-based plane that crashed Tuesday at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, according to a release from Naval Air Force Atlantic issued today.

The release said Cmdr. Llew Lewis, commanding officer of a Navy squadron assigned to CPRW-5 based at NAS Brunswick, Maine, was at the controls of the P-3 Orion aircraft when it overshot a runway at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan on Tuesday.

No one was killed, but one crew member, who has not been identified, sprained an ankle as a result of the crash, base spokesman John James told The Times Record Tuesday.

James said the plane's right main landing gear collapsed and both right engines caught fire.

Navy officials are investigating the crash, the release said. Capt. James Hoke has reassigned Lewis from command of the squadron pending its completion, according to the release.

"That is standard procedure to temporarily reassign personnel pending the outcome of any aircraft investigation," James said.

In the meantime, Cmdr. Craig Lee, executive officer of the squadron, has temporarily assumed command of the squadron.

Mass Communications Specialist 2 David Hewitt, of NAS Brunswick, Maine Public Affairs Office, said he could not indicate how many people were on the plane at the time of the crash or how long the investigation will last.

But the crash rendered the P-3 out of commission, resulting in a multi-million-dollar loss. P-3 Orions, 23 of which fly out from NAS Brunswick, Maine, were last produced for the U.S. Navy in 1990 for $36 million apiece.

Tuesday's crash was the first in decades involving an aircraft stationed at NAS Brunswick, Maine. According to Times Record research, the last time a Brunswick-based plane crashed was Sept. 22, 1978, when eight crew members died in Poland after a structural failure caused a Navy P-3 to break up in flight.

UPDATE "...Squadron CO fired after P-3 crash in Afghanistan By Andrew Tilghman - Staff writer - Posted : Friday Oct 24, 2008 16:50:38 EDT..." WebSite: NavyTimes http://www.navytimes.com/ [25OCT2008]

Waiting for permission to post entire article.

UPDATE "...Afghan crash latest blow to Orion fleet - By Andrew Tilghman - Staff writer - Posted : Thursday Oct 23, 2008 11:53:44 EDT..." WebSite: NavyTimes http://www.navytimes.com/ [24OCT2008]

Waiting for permission to post entire article.

UPDATE "...P-3 Orion based at BNAS crashes in Afghanistan - 10/22/2008..." WebSite: TimesRecord http://www.timesrecord.com/ [23OCT2008]

BRUNSWICK — For the first time in more than 30 years, a NAS Brunswick, Maine-based plane crashed Tuesday, as a P-3 Orion missed a runway in Afghanistan and was destroyed.

There were no fatalities in the crash, and only one crew member suffered a minor injury.

John James, public affairs Officer at the NAS Brunswick, Maine, said Tuesday he couldn't divulge which patrol squadron the plane belonged to, nor the name of the crew member who was injured.

"It was a Wing 5 aircraft deployed to Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom," James told The Times Record. "The aircraft overshot the runway at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan. The right main landing gear collapsed and both right engines then caught fire. The Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan fire department responded immediately and distinguished the fire.

"All of the crew exited the left side of the airplane and there was only one minor injury, which was a sprained ankle," he continued.

An American Forces Press Service report from Afghanistan claims that the injured crew member was treated at Craig Joint Theater Hospital at the Bagram location. The report also said the crash is still under investigation.

UPDATE "...Landing accident at Bagram Airfield leaves one injured, loss of airplane from U.S. Forces Afghanistan..." WebSite: Bagram Air Base http://www.bagram.afcent.af.mil/ [22OCT2008]

10/21/2008 - KABUL, Afghanistan -- A Navy P-3 Orion airplane overshot the runway surface while landing at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan early today.

The airplane sustained serious structural and fire damage. Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan-based emergency-response units took action on scene to extinguish the fires.

The entire crew survived, though one U.S. crew member suffered a broken ankle and was treated at Craig Joint Theater Hospital on Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan.

The cause of the accident is under investigation.

UPDATE "...U.S. plane overshoots runway in Afghanistan - By Joseph Giordono, Stars and Stripes - Mideast edition, Wednesday, October 22, 2008 ..." WebSite: Stars and Stripes http://www.stripes.com/ [22OCT2008]

A U.S. Navy reconnaissance plane was destroyed when it overshot the runway at the large U.S. air base north of the Afghan capital early Tuesday, officials said.

All of the crewmembers survived the crash, though one suffered a broken ankle.

"A Navy P-3 Orion airplane overshot the runway surface while landing at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan early [Tuesday]," a United States Forces — Afghanistan release read.

"The airplane sustained serious structural and fire damage. Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan-based emergency-response units took action on scene to extinguish the fires."

The injured crewmember was treated at the Craig Joint Theater Hospital on Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, officials said.

The P-3 is a four-prop plane that was originally developed during the Cold War, when its primary mission was tracking missiles and attack submarines.

Since early in the Afghan war, Navy P-3s have been used in landlocked Afghanistan to support coalition ground forces.

Officials have said the aircraft are used to gather intelligence and provide surveillance and reconnaissance for commanders in the Arabian Sea and on the ground in Afghanistan.

The plane that crashed Tuesday is deployed from PATWING FIVE out of NAS Norfolk, Virginia, said Cmdr. Jane Campbell of the Navy. While deployed, the aircraft falls under CTF-57, she said.

Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan is the largest U.S. military base in Afghanistan and a main flying hub.

The crash is under investigation, officials said.

Return
"VPU-1 Summary Page"