Missing Personnel in T-39 Mishap Presumed Dead
Story Number: NNS020510-14
Release Date: 5/10/2002 7:53:00 PM
By Ron Westlake, NAS Pensacola Public Affairs
NAS PENSACOLA, Fla. (NNS) -- Search and rescue efforts for the personnel missing in the May 8 mishap involving two T-39 Sabreliner aircraft have been officially suspended. The two civilian contractor pilots, two instructors, and three naval flight officer students are presumed dead. Extensive efforts in the search and rescue for the missing personnel were exhausted.
The personnel have been identified as:
Navy Lt. Cmdr. William R. Muscha, 36, a naval flight officer instructor, of Fargo, N.D.;
Navy Lt. Christopher T. Starkweather, 26, a student naval flight officer, of Ft. Atkinson, Wis.;
Navy Ensign James T. Logan, 26, a student naval flight officer, of Woodland Hills, Calif.;
Marine Corps 2nd Lt. John N. Wilt, a student naval flight officer, 23, of O’ Fallon, Ill.;
Royal Saudi Air Force Maj. Ambarak S. Al-Ghamdi, a naval flight officer instructor, age and hometown currently unavailable.
Raytheon Aerospace LLC Corporation has identified the two civilian contractor employees who were piloting both aircraft as Homer (Gray) Hutchinson III, of Pensacola, and Fritz Herr, of Pace, Fla.
Both aircraft, were assigned to Training Squadron EIGHTY SIX onboard Training Air Wing SIX, and were on a routine training mission when radar contact was lost at approximately 3:30 p.m. (local) on May 8. U.S. Coast Guard cutters Stingray and Bonita, and vessels from Naval Air Station Pensacola were at the scene. The U.S. Coast Guard suspended search and rescue operations at 3:00 p.m. (local) on May 9.
The T-39 Sabreliner aircraft is used to train student naval flight officers at NAS Pensacola, who specialize in areas such as navigation, electronic counter measures, tactical weapons systems, and radar intercept.
An investigation is underway to determine the cause of the mishap.
