Crew members of a U.S. Navy EP-3 surveillance plane departed
Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, for their home base on Whidbey
Island, Washington, April 14, nearly two weeks after a collision
with a Chinese jet forcing their emergency landing on China’s
Hainan Island.
Navy Lt. Shane Osborn, the Navy EP-3 pilot who resettled his
crippled aircraft to a safe landing, said his crew did
everything right and had nothing to apologize for when he spoke
to reporters April 14 prior to his 24-member crew’s departure.
Osborn told reporters that his aircraft was flying straight
and on auto pilot when a Chinese fighter hit his aircraft.
"I want to thank America, the administration and
everyone involved in getting us home so quickly," Osborn
said. "It was a surprise and we're all glad to be back. We
can all be proud of this crew."
Osborn stated that he and his crew made at least 15 mayday
calls on an emergency frequency prior to landing on the island,
and that he was sure his radio was transmitting. The Chinese
government is insisting that the EP-3 crew is at fault for the
incident, and that the crew did not have permission to land on
the Chinese island.
Osborn said the two Chinese fighter jets were
"harassing" his aircraft by flying within three to
five feet of his wing tips several times.
"The pilot of the lost Chinese aircraft pulled up into
my number one propeller on his last pass instead of completing
his underpass," Osborn said.
He said his aircraft immediately went into a 130-degree roll
following the impact. "It almost put us into an inverted
dive," he said.
The crew immediately began emergency procedures to bring the
plane back to level, according to Osborn. He said this process
was difficult because the damaged propeller was causing
considerable vibrations in the aircraft.
The crew came to Hawaii April 12 to complete their mission,
debrief military officials and receive medical evaluations. All
members of the crew are reportedly in good health and uninjured
as a result of the accident.
