Navy Report Blames Pilot In Fatal A-6E Crash

A Navy report blames pilot error in last fall's fatal crash of an A-6E Intruder into a cliff along the Columbia River.

Lt. Cmdr. Dan Dewispaleare, 32, and navigator Lt. j.g. Grady Dean Hackwith, 26, died in the Oct. 10 crash while on a routine training flight from Whidbey Island Naval Air Station.

A Navy report said Dewispaleare, decorated for his service in the Gulf War shortly before the crash, had developed an "aggressive tendency in the cockpit."

It said Dewispaleare had made an unplanned maneuver with the aircraft just before he was to perform a planned left turn. The aircraft plummeted from about 1,500 feet, falling into the river 12 miles southeast of Wenatchee.

"Regardless of the glowing praise for his performance both in the air and on the ground, the mishap pilot had established a subtly aggressive tendency in the cockpit, overlooked by his contemporaries due to his proven record of achievement and superior tactical acumen," the report said.

"Whether classified as complacency, overconfidence, overaggressiveness or basic showmanship, the end result was disastrous."

Dewispaleare was piloting the lead aircraft in a two-airplane training session..

Dewispaleare had been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his performance in the Gulf War.

Home towns were not available for either of the victims.

The report was received Tuesday in the mail at KQBE in Ellensburg, which had earlier requested a copy from the office of the judge advocate general with the Department of the Navy.

Authorities at Whidbey Island NAS said they did not have a copy of the report and efforts to reach Navy officials in Washington, D.C., were unsuccessful.

Officers interviewed by investigators described Dewispaleare as "not overly aggressive but sporty aggressive" and said he had done "ad-lib maneuvers" during previous flights, the report said.

The commanding officer also said Dewispaleare was his squadron's best pilot.

The bodies of the victims and about half the aircraft were recovered from the Columbia. The crash occurred about 12 miles southeast of Wenatchee.