Smoke from a crashed military plane from NAS Whidbey Island rises from a farm field  in Eastern Washington this morning. KOMO

Smoke from a crashed military plane from NAS Whidbey Island rises from a farm field in Eastern Washington this morning. KOMO

Military plane from Whidbey Island station crashes in Eastern Washington [**Updated**]

  • KOMO
  • Monday, March 11, 2013 3:38pm
  • News

By KOMO News

HARRINGTON — A military plane flying from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island has crashed in Lincoln County, and officials believe all three people on board were killed.

Lincoln County Sheriff Wade Magers said the plane went down about 10 miles outside of Harrington around 9 a.m.

He said no survivors were found, and deputies were in the process of helping cordon off the crash site while waiting for investigators to arrive.

A Department of Defense official said the aircraft was an EA-6B Prowler, a twin-engine electronic warfare aircraft that can seat four.

HaLee Walter lives nearby and said she heard a huge explosion that shook her house.

“I went outside and, of course, I could see the smoke,” she said. “The ambulance and police and fire trucks were all there, and a plane had gone down and there was still another military aircraft circling.”

A spokesman for Naval Air Station Whidbey Island confirmed that the plane came from the base, but did not have any additional information.

Stan Dammel, who manages Odessa Municipal Airport, lives in the area and heard about the crash on his police scanner. He got in his own aircraft and flew over the crash scene, which he said looked like a black ink spot on a field.

“There was no sign of an aircraft,” he said, “except there’s a pretty deep depression, a hole in the ground, and a lot of debris scattered around.”

—–

KOMO is a news partner of the Peninsula Daily News.

More in News

Two dead after tree falls in Olympic National Forest

Two women died after a tree fell in Olympic National… Continue reading

Sue Long, left, Vicki Bennett and Frank Handler, all from Port Townsend, volunteer at the Martin Luther King Day of Service beach restoration on Monday at Fort Worden State Park. The activity took place on Knapp Circle near the Point Wilson Lighthouse. Sixty-four volunteers participated in the removal of non-native beach grasses. (Steve Mullensky/for Peninsula Daily News)
Work party

Sue Long, left, Vicki Bennett and Frank Handler, all from Port Townsend,… Continue reading

Portion of bridge to be replaced

Tribe: Wooden truss at railroad park deteriorating

Kingsya Omega, left, and Ben Wilson settle into a hand-holding exercise. (Aliko Weste)
Process undermines ‘Black brute’ narrative

Port Townsend company’s second film shot in Hawaii

Jefferson PUD to replace water main in Coyle

Jefferson PUD commissioners awarded a $1.3 million construction contract… Continue reading

Scott Mauk.
Chimacum superintendent receives national award

Chimacum School District Superintendent Scott Mauk has received the National… Continue reading

Hood Canal Coordinating Council meeting canceled

The annual meeting of the Hood Canal Coordinating Council, scheduled… Continue reading

Bruce Murray, left, and Ralph Parsons hang a cloth exhibition in the rotunda of the old Clallam County Courthouse on Friday in Port Angeles. The North Olympic History Center exhibit tells the story of the post office past and present across Clallam County. The display will be open until early February, when it will be relocated to the Sequim City Hall followed by stops on the West End. The project was made possible due to a grant from the Clallam County Heritage Advisory Board. (Dave Logan/for Peninsula Daily News)
Post office past and present

Bruce Murray, left, and Ralph Parsons hang a cloth exhibition in the… Continue reading

This agave grew from the size of a baseball in the 1990s to the height of Isobel Johnston’s roof in 2020. She saw it bloom in 2023. Following her death last year, Clallam County Fire District 3 commissioners, who purchased the property on Fifth Avenue in 2015, agreed to sell it to support the building of a new Carlsborg fire station. (Matthew Nash/Olympic Peninsula News Group file)
Fire district to sell property known for its Sequim agave plant

Sale proceeds may support new Carlsborg station project

As part of Olympic Theatre Arts’ energy renovation upgrade project, new lighting has been installed, including on the Elaine and Robert Caldwell Main Stage that allows for new and improved effects. (Olympic Theatre Arts)
Olympic Theatre Arts remodels its building

New roof, LED lights, HVAC throughout

Weekly flight operations scheduled

Field carrier landing practice operations will be conducted for aircraft… Continue reading