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EP-3 Spy plane secrets compromised by Chinese
The crew of a Navy spy plane that landed on China’s Hainan Island in April 2001 after colliding with a Chinese fighter jet did not destroy all classified materials aboard, and it is "highly probable" that some fell into Chinese hands, Navy investigators concluded.
This was nothing a well placed cruise missle couldn’ve fixed...
The report, which was released in response to a Freedom of Information Act request by Jane’s Defense Weekly, blamed the Chinese fighter pilot for the collision and did not fault the Navy crew for failing to complete the destruction of classified information aboard the EP-3. Specifics about the classified materials were deleted from the released version of the report, and the report did not address the possible impact of any compromise of official secrets. "The destruction of classified material was accomplished while the aircrew was probably still in shock from the aircraft collision and the subsequent rapid descent of the aircraft and with very little time prior to landing," the report said.
Good work guys/gals... way to keep your heads...
Ever been in a falling airplane?
It also found that "destruction of all classified materials onboard did not occur," and concluded that "compromise by the People’s Republic of China of undestroyed classified material on PR-32 is highly probable and cannot be ruled out." PR-32 was the mission designation of the U.S. plane.
It’d be interesting to learn what we lost... guess we’ll read about it 50 years from now.... sigh...
After the Chinese F-8 fighter struck the Navy plane’s No. 1 propeller, causing the U.S. plane to shake violently and snap-roll to the left at about a 140-degree angle of bank, the aircraft commander gave the order for the crew to prepare to bail out. Procedures do not require that destruction of classified material begin in that situation. After the No. 1 engine was shut down and the plane became more controllable, the crew was directed to "prepare to ditch," meaning they would stay with the plane as it attempted to land. Although not required at that point, the crew began to destroy classified material, the report said. Some material was jettisoned out a hatch, and equipment was smashed with an ax and other hard objects, such as metal containers. Upon landing on Hainan Island, some of the remaining classified papers were shredded.
Having been in a near-identical position once myself — a P2V, rather than a P3, a 37mm round through the wing rather than a busted propellor — I can't find any fault with their reactions. Once you've got your parachute on and you're watching the ground (or water, in this case) come closer at a rapid rate, you're not thinking real seriously about the paperwork. The cipher gear's the important stuff, and I imagine that was scrubbed first thing.

Posted by: ----------<<<<- 2003-09-12
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=18623