Virginia Beach Crash Flight Line Potentially Endangered A Middle School, Beach Hotels, And Gathering Places

The reports thus far from Virginia Beach following the crash of a U.S. Navy F/A 18D aircraft into the Mayfair Mews Apartment complex for elderly individuals indicate no loss of life. Minor injuries are reported to seven on the ground and to the two pilots who parachuted into the crash site and were saved by neighbors from greater injury. Reuters, however, just disclosed [10:30 pm] that three residents of the apartment complex were listed as missing. The plane, a part of a training squadron at Oceana, Virginia, the largest Navy air facility on the East Coast, “suffered a catastrophic mechanical malfunction,” according to Pentagon Navy Captain Mark Weisgerber.

There are some miraculous attributes to this crash, however, although those affected will suffer much: physical injury, psychological trauma, and property loss. That it could have been worse is something they, their friends, neighbors, and families will have difficulty hearing, understandably so. Nonetheless, anyone who has spent time at Virginia Beach is familiar with the constancy of jet fly-overs as pilots train. Oceana NAS-VA musters approximately 250 aircraft, and it is an amazing testimony to pilots, ground crews, and equipment, that, according to the Aviation Safety Network, this is the first such Oceana NAS crash in the area.

Yet, thankfully, more disastrous results were avoided, apparently due to the quick reactions of the pilot to an impossibly complex situation with, literally, only a few seconds to reach a decision. Pilots, of course, train for these events, but “catastrophic failure” is impossible to truly prepare for. Pilots train to avoid crashing into populated areas; in Virginia Beach they aim to reach the ocean if they have time and adequate control of the aircraft. Both were missing here.

So, given the inevitability of the crash, the outcome in this rather densely populated area was remarkably less destructive than might have been expected. Most obviously, and frighteningly, the aircraft’s potential flight “crash path” endangered Virginia Beach Middle School, only 200 yards southeast of the Mayfair Mews Apartment crash site. The school, in session at the time, is home to 750 pupils and staff. Spring break starts next Monday . . . Also in harm’s way was the Virginia Beach COnvention Center, although no events were scheduled today.

[Click on each image below for a crisper image. Also, thanks to the reader who pointed out that I misidentified the Va. Beach Convention Center as the Va. Beach Middle School, corrected below.]

In addition, if the aircraft had been airborne a few more seconds, the probable flight path would have endangered one of the more popular ocean side meeting places and tourist attractions at the northern end of the boardwalk, Neptune’s Park. High rise hotels dominate the area as well: the 21-story Hilton Virginia Beach Oceanfront; a 300 room Hilton DoubleTree Hotel; Marriott’s 14-story Residence Inn Virginia Beach Oceanfront; another Hilton property, their 8-story Hampton Inn Oceanfront; and a large city shopping mall, the Shoppes at 31 Ocean.

There’s no true silver lining to this disaster. It was, as always, simply a serendipitous hit or miss that today hit and missed according to its own mysterious – unknowable? – rules.