Four Missing Air Crewmen Killed, Identified
Navy Newsstand
Story Number:NNS040813-14
Release Date: 8/13/2004 7:56:00 PM
From U.S. 7th Fleet Public Affairs
JAPAN (NNS) -- The four air crewmen killed in the crash of an S-3B Viking aircraft Aug. 10, operating from the San Diego-based aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) have been identified.
Lt. Patrick Sean Myrick, age 31, of Santa Monica, Calif. Lt. James Joseph Pupplo, age 34, of Selden, N.Y. Lt. Cmdr. Scott Allen Zellem, age 35, of Indiana, Penn. Aviation Electronics Technician 2nd Class Joshua Brent Showalter, age 24, of Fontana, Calif.
The aviators were assigned to Sea Control Squadron (VS) 35, based at Naval Air Station North Island, Calif., when their aircraft impacted Kita Iwo Jima, an uninhabited island located approximately 39 nautical miles north of Iwo Jima.
Recovery operations continue.
A memorial service for the air crew is scheduled for Aug. 15 (Japan date) aboard Stennis, currently deployed to the western Pacific Ocean.
The air crew was conducting a routine training mission as part of the Joint Air-Sea Exercise (JASEX) '04 with the Stennis and USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) carrier strike groups in the vicinity of Iwo Jima island chain when communications were lost at approximately 7:42 p.m. (local time), Aug. 10.
The U.S. Navy is actively conducting a mishap investigation into the cause of the incident.
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
