WASHINGTON, Feb. 28 -- An engine malfunction was the likely cause of the crash that killed one of the first female fighter pilots in the U.S. Navy, investigators said Tuesday. A Naval report detailing the Oct. 25, 1994, crash of the F-14A off the southern California coast that killed Navy Lt. Kara Hultgreen found that the left engine stopped running shortly before Hultgreen was to land aboard an aircraft carrier. 'All too often we forget how narrow the margin of safety is in naval carrier aviation,' Vice Admiral Robert Spano, commander of the Naval Air Force, Pacific Fleet, said in a statement. 'This pilot did her best to keep this aircraft flying under conditions that were all but impossible.' According to the report, Hultgreen was most likely unaware that the engine had stalled as she made a final landing attempt on the USS Abraham Lincoln. As Hultgreen rolled out on final approach and increased power 'only the right engine responded,' the report said. Hultgreen died after ejecting from the aircraft as it spun out of control into the water. Navy Lt. Matthew Klemish, the radar intercept officer aboard the plane with Hultgreen, managed to eject safely and survived the crash with minor injuries. Navy investigators found that 'Hultgreen was fully qualified to fly the F-14A' and that she 'had recently practiced single engine approaches in a flight simulator.' Hultgreen had 217 hours of flying time in the F-14, the report said. Investigators determined that the malfunction was likely caused by 'a failed engine bleed air control valve coupled with more than normal side slip.'
In a video of the incident made available to United Press International, exhaust is seen coming out of only the right engine as Hultgreen makes her final landing attempt. Personnel in the airtraffic control tower on board the ship can be heard yelling, 'Wave off! Power! Raise your gear!' Hultgreen's plane took a sharp dive to the left and flashes caused by the explosions made from the ejection seats are visible as the plane rolls and plummets into the sea. Klemish later recalled hearing a 'popping' noise behind him which investigators said could have been the engine going out. Klemish told investigators the noise seemed 'insignificant, even in hindsight' and said he never mentioned it to Hultgreen. Investigators said it was unclear whether Hultgreen knew that the engine had malfunctioned. As a result of the accident, the report recommends the Navy implement additional checks on the engine and add this type of emergency to flight simulator training.
