The Gun Counter

Two dead, two missing in University City jet crash



By Angelica Martinez and Debbi Baker
UNION-TRIBUNE BREAKING NEWS TEAM

and Steve Liewer
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

3:15 p.m. December 8, 2008

UNIVERSITY CITY – Two people were killed and two are still missing when a Marine Corps fighter-bomber crashed on a residential street Monday, sparking fires that destroyed two homes and sent thick black smoke billowing through the neighborhood, prompting evacuations due to concerns about possibly toxic fumes.

The victims are a mother and child, and the missing pair are a grandmother and another child, all from the same house, according to Maurice Luque, a spokesman for the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department. Authorities are still trying to confirm their identities, Luque said.

The pilot, who had been trying to land the ailing plane at nearby Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, ejected safely moments before the crash, escaping with minor injuries.

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Mailman nearly targeted by plane

UNION-TRIBUNE

3:45 p.m. December 8, 2008

UNIVERSITY CITY – Delivering the mail in the 4400 block of Cather Avenue Monday, Bill Dusting heard a loud “pop! pop!” His first thought – that the sounds were gunshots – was worrisome.

The reality, though, was terrifying.

That sound? A pilot ejecting from an out-of-control Marine Corps jet that was headed straight for the 48-year-old mailman.

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UNIVERSITY CITY – Three people were killed when a Marine Corps fighter-bomber crashed on a residential street Monday, sparking fires that destroyed two homes and sent thick black smoke billowing through the neighborhood, prompting evacuations due to concerns about possibly toxic fumes.

The pilot, who had been trying to land the ailing plane at nearby Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, ejected safely moments before the crash, escaping with minor injuries. The jet crashed on Cather Avenue around noon.

Maurice Luque, a spokesman for the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department, said that three people on the ground were killed in a home on Cather Avenue near Huggins Street. Authorities are still trying to confirm their identities, Luque said.

FelixEstrella wrote:Here in San Jose we have folks whining about the noise after they built/bought houses in the flight path of SJC. Thank goodness there have been no crashes.

Miramar NAS, or at least the Naval Fighter Weapon School, was established in 1969, though it was occupied by both the Marines and the Navy during the 1940s. I'll bet that most of the houses now occupied in University City weren't there at the time.

Cybrludite wrote:I'm not usually one to second guess these things, but I'm surprised the pilot punched out over a populated area. With the word about who all were in the house the plane landed on, I'm sure the pilot's wishing he'd rode it all the way in.

Fourth body found in home at site of military jet crash

By Debbi Baker, Angelica Martinez and Kristina Davis
UNION-TRIBUNE BREAKING NEWS TEAM

2:43 p.m. December 9, 2008

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 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 University City home, said Maurice Luque, a San Diego Fire-Rescue Department spokesman.

Searchers had to dig through the collapsed second floor of the fire-gutted two-story home on Cather Avenue to find Grace, who would have been 16 months old two days before Christmas.

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