San Diego Union-Tribune December 09, 2008
Fourth body found in home at jet crash site
Pilot ejects seconds before impact; child missing, presumed dead
By Debbi Baker and Angelica Martinez and Kristina Davis and Steve Liewer
SAN DIEGO – The body of a fourth family member killed in Monday's fiery jet crash – a 15-month-old girl – was found Tuesday near the entrance of the home where her mother, grandmother and infant sister also died.
Aided by cadaver dogs from the Sheriff's Department, San Diego firefighters found the body of Grace Yoon about 12:30 p.m. following a 2½-hour search through the charred remains of the home at 4416 Cather Ave. in University City that they had been renting, said Maurice Luque, a San Diego Fire-Rescue Department spokesman.
The father and husband was identified as Don Yun Yoon, who was working when the crash occurred. He spoke Tuesday afternoon, thanking the community for its support and saying he doesn't blame the pilot.
The family had moved into the house just two to three weeks ago, said the Rev. Daniel Shin, a pastor at their church, Korean United Methodist of San Diego in Clairemont.
Kevin Lee, an associate pastor at the church, identified the mother as Youngmi Yoon, and said she gave birth two months ago to another daughter, Rachel.
Young Yoon's mother, identified by Lee as Seokim Kim, had recently arrived from South Korea to stay a short time and care for the baby, Shin said.
Searchers had to dig through the collapsed second floor of the fire-gutted two-story home Tuesday to find the body of Grace, who would have been 16 months old two days before Christmas.
It was an effort that took an emotional toll on the veteran firefighters involved, Luque said. “Painstakingly and by hand, they searched through the rubble of the house,” he said.
The fighter pilot of the disabled F/A-18D Hornet, whose name was not released by the military, ejected to safety seconds before the aircraft slammed into the pavement on Cather Avenue near Huggins Street, about two miles west of Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, his destination.
He was taken to a naval hospital and was listed in good condition.
After hitting the Yoon house, the plane struck three other houses.
A local congressional representative, Rep. Duncan Hunter, released a statement Tuesday saying a preliminary investigation indicated the crash was likely due to power failure and not structural problems with the plane.
The pilot, who ended up suspended by his parachute in a tree in a canyon several blocks from where the jet crashed, told several people who came to his aid Monday that one of the jet's engines failed over the ocean and that he was trying to make it to Miramar when the second engine failed over University City.
The father learned about the tragedy when a neighbor called him at work, Lee said. He later contacted police, who confirmed the deaths.
Yoon spent Monday evening at his sister's home with members of the congregation, who were all praying, said Lee, who was with the father.
“No human words can ease his pain,” Lee said Tuesday morning.
He said Youngmi Yoon had been away from the church in Clairemont since giving birth, coming back for a service last Sunday.
“She was very happy to be back,” Lee said. “She was always smiling and encouraging to other people.”
Youngmi Yoon was devoted to her family, the pastor said.
“She was a very loving wife to her husband and a very caring mother to her daughters,” Lee said.
Neighbor Michael Rose, who was directly across the street from one of the homes that burned, described the family as immigrants trying to make it in the United States.
He said he has known the family for 10 years and said the father was a hard-working dad, and he described Youngmi Yoon as a sweet mom, taking care of “sweet little babies.” He saw the family Monday morning just hours before the crash.
“I saw him kiss his family goodbye in the driveway,” Rose said. “It was such a sweet moment to witness, especially not realizing what was coming.”
Large parts of the jet remained Tuesday on Huggins Street. A huge pile of twisted metal and other debris was in front of another home. Police told residents not to touch any debris they might find.
Residents could be seen returning to their homes Tuesday under police escort. Some stayed just long enough to get some belongings and leave, while others were surrounded by reporters and cameras from news organizations from as far away as Korea and Australia.
June Lanning, 62, is one of the lucky ones who was able to return to her Huggins Street home Tuesday morning. She said she was overwhelmed and amazed at what she saw.
“It's like a dream,” she said.
San Diego police Capt. Shelley Zimmerman said that all residents can return to their homes except for those deemed uninhabitable. Officers are only letting residents in the area.
A meeting has been scheduled at 6 p.m. Thursday at University City High School at 6949 Genesee Ave. Councilwoman Sherri Lightner, who represents the district where the crash site is located, will address the community.
San Diego Police Chief William Lansdowne and representatives from the military also will be there to talk about community safety. Other possible topics may include questions about the military's flight operations and any concerns residents have about their health or property damage.
F/A-18s routinely fly out of Miramar, a once-rural base now hemmed in by development.
The student pilot, from Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 101 at Miramar Marine Corps Air Station, was en route from the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln, which has been operating in the Pacific Ocean off San Diego for several days while aviators practice day and night carrier-landing drills, said base spokesman Maj. Jay Delarosa.
In October, the Navy and Marine Corps temporarily grounded 636 older Hornets after a routine inspection revealed cracks in several of them.
But the aircraft, a workhorse of the Navy and Marine Corps fleet, has generally performed well in more than two decades of service, said John Pike at the defense-oriented GlobalSecurity.org.
© Copyright 2008, Union-Tribune Publishing Co.
