Navy Opens Process of Paying Damages Caused by Jet Crash

The Navy has begun the process of paying for losses caused this month when a crippled F-14A Tomcat fighter jet flying over downtown El Cajon crashed into and destroyed several businesses and hangars at Gillespie Field.

Navy officials Thursday estimated the property damage at $6 million to $8 million, a total that is likely to increase once claims for the injured are included. Any estimate at this point of what it will cost to compensate the injured is speculative, the officials said.

The Sept. 12 accident left one of the two crew members in the plane dead and the other injured. Three civilians on the ground were also hurt, two of whom remain hospitalized. One is being treated for severe burns and the other for the loss of his leg.

On Training Flight

The jet was on a training flight over the Pacific when it began to experience difficulties with its hydraulic system, a critical component in controlling the aircraft. The crew attempted to make a long approach to Miramar, home of the jet, in order to minimize the jet’s dependence on hydraulics.

But the system apparently broke down over El Cajon, leaving the pilots without control and forcing them to eject while the plane was upside down. The pilotless jet traveled about 3 miles over residential neighborhoods, schools, parks and a freeway before plowing into Gillespie Field.

The Navy’s investigation of the accident is expected to be finished by the end of next month, officials said Thursday at a press conference outside the headquarters of the Naval Air Force for the U.S. Pacific Fleet on North Island.

First Steps Taken

It was there that Navy officials emphasized that claims against the Navy as a result of the crash will be expedited, and that the Navy has taken steps to help those people and businesses affected by the accident to receive a settlement.

As outlined by Capt. Dave Larson, staff legal adviser, the Navy has done the following:

- Navy attorneys have attempted to contact all people who have said they intend to file claims. The lawyers are offering help in filing claims correctly.

- A private appraiser hired by the Navy has been at work since last Friday, assessing the damage to aircraft and property at the airfield.

- The Secretary of the Navy has increased the local authority of the San Diego Naval Legal Service to settle claims, raising the limit from $5,000 to $25,000. Claims higher than $25,000 will be forwarded to Washington. But officials stressed these large claims will be given top priority.

- The Navy is advancing awards of up to $10,000 to those people with proper claims. The Navy says the $10,000 payments are not final settlements but rather advances on those settlements and are intended to help people get back on their feet, particularly those who are uninsured or under-insured and who need money now. Plans are to identify and provide the payments to as many qualified people as possible in the next few weeks.

“We are deeply concerned about the personal and financial health of those who have suffered as a result of this mishap and are committed to their fair and just compensation within the parameters of the federal laws that control the claims process,� Larson said.

65 Claims Expected

The Navy expects to eventually handle 65 claims totaling $6 million to $8 million but has thus far received only three, and they seek $60,000, officials said. The Navy approved two of them, and officials said they will have paid out $50,000 by the end of today.

Among property destroyed by the F-14A were 10 small hangars, three large maintenance hangars, five planes parked outside, seven inside and seven helicopters. Three other helicopters were extensively damaged.

At Gillespie Field Thursday, business owners were generally pleased with the Navy’s efforts so far, though all said they are still struggling to recover.

Moved Business

Joe and Bobby Leavitt, owners of Helicopter Management Corp., said they have moved their business to another part of the airfield. “Two people from their (the Navy’s) legal office were here . . . they said our claim can’t proceed until the investigation is completed,� Bobby Leavitt said.

“At this point, they’ve been very cooperative,� she said. So far, the firm has taken about 300 to 400 photographs and is compiling a list of everything that was damaged or destroyed. The company, in business since 1983, rents hangar space and performs maintenance on helicopters owned by a separate firm.

Bobby Leavitt estimates her company’s loss, principally of special tools and spare parts, at about $1.5 million to $2 million. Additionally, one helicopter was destroyed and two others were so severely damaged by heat from the fire that they have been declared total losses. The helicopters, owned by South Seas Helicopters of Las Vegas, are valued at about $1 million, she said.

Help for Workers

The Leavitts say they can’t really use the $10,000 advance payment offered by the Navy--because “it’s only a drop in the bucket for us,� said Joe--but that it can really help their workers, such as mechanics who lost all their tools and their cars.

“We’re trying to start up again,� said Joe, noting that his business now has one hangar and an office.

One of the hardest-hit businesses was Safari Aviation, the company with the master lease to 4 1/2 acres at the airfield that includes 13 destroyed hangars, including two rented by the Leavitts.

Dick McDowell is managing partner and one-third owner of the business. He estimates his total losses at about $750,000, says he has lost about 75% of his business and fears he has lost his three tenants as well. Even so, he praised the Navy’s help as he tries to pick up the pieces of his 30-year-old business.

Partly Insured

“I couldn’t believe they could be this sensitive and cooperative,� McDowell said of the Navy’s efforts to help him file his claim. He was insured for some of the losses.

McDowell says he needs the $10,000 advance payment so that he can pay his bills and his workers, who are helping him demolish what is left of the hangars.

Killed as a result of the crash was Lt. (j.g.) Randy L. Furtado, 27, the radar intercept officer, who died a day after from a broken neck. The pilot Lt. Cmdr. Jim Barnett, 36, suffered a broken arm and heel. He was discharged from Naval Hospital on Sept. 17 and is on convalescent leave, according to Navy officials.

William Grant, 35, a civilian on the ground who lost a leg in the crash, was originally in serious condition. He is still in the hospital, but his condition has improved to good, hospital officials said Thursday.

Brian Jolliffe, 40, another civilian who immediately after the crash was in critical condition with severe burns over a third of his body, is still at the UC San Diego Medical Center. Hospital officials said Thursday he is out of intensive care and his condition has been upgraded to fair.