MARINE COMMANDER RELIEVED OF DUTY AFTER AIRCRAFT CRASHES

The commander of a Marine aircraft squadron plagued with crashes, including aboard the Twentynine Palms Marine base, was relieved of command Wednesday. The Marine Corps said  Lieutenant Colonel Wade Workman, commander of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 232, was relieved “due to a loss of trust and confidence in his ability to continue to serve in that position.” The squadron is based at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. Last year, Squadron 232 lost at least two F/A-18C Hornets in training crashes. On July 28, Marine Major Richard Norton was killed during a nighttime air-to-ground training flight near Marine Air Ground Combat Center at Twentynine Palms. Days later, August 2, an F/A-18C Hornet from the same squadron crashed at Naval Air Station Fallon in Nevada in a training flight; the pilot safely ejected. Additional Marine F/A-18C Hornet crashes this year caused the deaths of two more pilots and loss of aircraft. June 2, Marine Capt. Jeff Kuss was killed when his F/A-18C Hornet crashed during training with the Blue Angels. Nov. 9, two F/A-18C Hornets assigned to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar collided over San Diego, resulting in the loss of an aircraft. Both pilots survived. On Dec. 7, Marine Capt. Jake Frederick was killed when his F/A-18C Hornet crashed during a training flight off the coast of Japan. In the November collision, the aircraft were part of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 314, which, along with Squadron 232, is attached to 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing. In early December, the commanding general of 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, Maj. Gen. Mark Wise, relieved Lt. Col. Michael Hernandez, the wing’s top logistics officer in charge of ensuring the aircraft were ready to fly. In the statement about Workman, the Marines said the decision was made “based on issues concerning command climate within the squadron.”