Thursday, August 25, 2011

Navy Trainer Goes Down In The Gulf of Mexico near Bob Hall Pier.

CORPUS CHRISTI - Officials with NASCC have confirmed that a Navy T-34c training plane went down in the Gulf of Mexico near Bob Hall Pier early Wednesday evening.

According to spokesman Bob Torres, both pilots were able to escape and parachute safely to the water.

An eyewitness, Jeff Beynon, says he was on the beach a few miles south of Bob Hall Pier and heard a pop, then saw a single parachute descending toward the water.

He estimates the plane was flying 2-3 miles off the beach.

Beynon says almost immediately after the parachute hit the water, another trainer plane was circling overhead.

Minutes later, a US Coast Guard jet was flying over the site, and after that, a Coast Guard helicopter arrived to rescue both pilots from the water.

According to Torres, both were flown to Christus Spohn Memorial, and are listed in stable condition.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation.


A two-seat training aircraft crashed about 5 miles south of Bob Hall Pier on Padre Island Wednesday evening.

The plane, assigned to Training Squadron 28 based in NAS Corpus Christi, was conducting routine flight training when it crashed at about 6:33 p.m., according to a press release from the Navy.

A Coast Guard response boat and crew launched from Port Aransas to assist in the search, and the pilots were rescued by Jesse Weaver with the United States Coast Guard at about 7:31 p.m.

Coast Guard Lt. Steven Vanderlaske said the pilots were smiling and giving thumbs-up once safe inside the Search and Rescue helicopter that picked them up and flew them to Christus Spohn Memorial Medical Center.

The condition of the pilots is unknown, and their names are being withheld pending notification of family members.

The cause of the incident is under investigation.

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