THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 24, 1994 TAG: 9407240076
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A10 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEVE STONE, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Medium: 54 lines
Saturday's crash at Oceana Naval Air Station should not hinder efforts to protect the installation during the next round of military base closings, said a member of a committee working to keep the base open.
``It's tragic that there has been an accident but, unfortunately, that's part of naval aviation, and it's an accepted part,'' said retired Marine Col. Jim Pendergast of Virginia Beach. ``The point is, accidents occur at every air station.''
Pendergast should know. He's a former public affairs officer at the Marine Corps Air Station at Cherry Point, N.C. ``Certainly we had our share of accidents there in the 70s with the Harrier jet.''
Still, while Saturday's crash occurred on base, it comes as Oceana supporters are preparing to defend the base against an argument raised in 1993 for closing it: the encroachment of homes, shopping centers and public buildings at Oceana's borders during the past five decades.
Base supporters, in an effort to keep the base's 10,000 employees and annual $392 million payroll, argue that the city and the Navy have dealt adequately with the problem. Special building codes have been enforced in accident-potential zones and the Navy has established a 10,000-acre buffer zone around the base.
``I don't see how this would jeopardize Oceana at all,'' Pendergast said. ``Oceana has been blessed with a very good safety record.''
There have been at least 24 crashes, including 13 near residential areas, involving Navy aircraft on or near the base in the past 20 years. The last fatal accident at the base occurred in May 1986.
``Accidents are not unexpected,'' Pendergast said. ``That's why air stations are designed the way they are with as much space as possible within and externally. People who say Oceana is unusual due to encroachment are not accurate.''
Pendergast serves on a committee advising U.S. Rep. Owen Pickett, a Democrat representing Virginia Beach and Norfolk, in his efforts to protect Oceana from closure. The next round of base closings, the last one of four scheduled, begins next spring. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
This T-2 Buckeye at Oceana Naval Air Station is the same model as
the training jet that crashed into a wooded area off runway 23 on
Saturday. Both pilots ejected before the plane exploded.
KEYWORDS: MILITARY BASES BASE CLOSINGS ACCIDENT
PLANE ACCIDENT MILITARY FATALITY INJURY by CNB