Special Investigators Join Probe of Air Show Crash

A special team of Navy investigators has joined the expanding probe into the fiery crash of a Vietnam-era fighter jet at the Point Mugu Air Show over the weekend.

The team comprises experts from military bases in Washington, D.C.; Norfolk, Va.; and San Diego, who will examine possible causes of the crash, including mechanical malfunctions and a collision with birds.

Navy Cmdr. Michael Norman, 39, of Camarillo and Marine Corps. Capt. Andrew Muhs, 31, who lived at the Ventura County base, were killed Saturday when their QF-4 Phantom plunged to the ground and exploded in flames as thousands of air show spectators watched. Norman was the pilot and Muhs the navigator.

No one on the ground was injured when the jet peeled away from a low-flying formation, wobbled out of control and pitched to the right before crashing into marshland just west of Point Mugu. Witnesses said they saw smoke and flames spewing from the jet’s engines before it went down.

Moments after the crash, special military agents stationed at the base converged on the jet’s hangar and confiscated maintenance logs containing all operational records on the jet, said a source familiar with the investigation. The agents were there to provide extra security after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Sources familiar with the investigation said they are pursuing a number of theories about what caused the crash.

Among the possibilities are a mechanical malfunction that destroyed the jet’s control system, faulty maintenance and birds flying into the aircraft’s engines.

Nothing has been ruled out, although pilot error is considered unlikely, sources said.