A P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft was damaged last month after it struck a sonobuoy servicing truck at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Washington, Navy officials confirmed this week.
No injuries were reported as part of the Nov. 15 mishap, but two members of the plane’s aircrew were taken to the base clinic and examined “in accordance with protocol, not treatment for an injury,” according to Naval Air Forces spokesman Cmdr. Zachary Harrell.
The “Class A” mishap occurred as the plane was maneuvering on the tarmac and resulted in damage to the left-side horizontal stabilizer, Harrell said.
Citing an ongoing investigation, Harrell declined to provide further details.
The plane is assigned to Patrol Squadron 4.
The Naval Safety Center denotes a Class A mishap as one that causes more than $2.5 million in damage.
Correction: based on erroneous information provided by the U.S. Navy, an earlier version of this story misstated the movement of the P-8 at the time of the mishap. The aircraft was taxiing when it struck the sonobuoy truck.
Geoff is the managing editor of Military Times, but he still loves writing stories. He covered Iraq and Afghanistan extensively and was a reporter at the Chicago Tribune. He welcomes any and all kinds of tips at geoffz@militarytimes.com.
