Article of interest

Civilians rushed to aid Marine pilot in Ocala National Forest

Pilot ejected, was flown to Shands in Gainesville

SALT SPRINGS — Brandon Coon was raking leaves at his grandfather's home Sunday evening when he saw that a passing military jet was in trouble. SALT SPRINGS — Brandon Coon was raking leaves at his grandfather's home Sunday evening when he saw that a passing military jet was in trouble.

The teenager ran to get his grandfather, Gerald Sherrer, 59, and the two jumped into a pickup and raced toward the area where the plane had disappeared.

At the end of Northeast 77th Street, where it meets State Road 19, Brandon first spotted a mushroom cloud. Then he saw the pilot drifting toward the ground in his parachute.

The pilot appeared motionless, his chin drooped against his chest, as the wind carrying him west of SR 19.

Sherrer told Brandon to keep an eye on the pilot. They turned west on Forest Road 46, which used to be called Forest Road 10, and drove down the clay road until Brandon lost sight of the pilot.

As the truck came to the top of a ridge, Sherrer said he believed the pilot should be somewhere close, just out of sight.

"That's when I saw the flare," said Brandon, who held the flare shell in his hand, a gift he later received from the pilot.

The pair walked 100 yards and found the pilot, U.S. Marine Capt. Jarrod L. Klement, 29, who was still in his parachute harness. He was alive and alert.

"Who are you?" Klement asked.

Brandon and Sherrer helped Klement back to the pickup, where the pilot sat down on the tailgate and called his wife to let her know he was OK.

Klement told the pair he blacked out after he ejected and that his back hurt. Brandon noticed he had burns on his hand.

Moments later, area resident Erica Dahl, who had also seen the distressed plane, pulled up and Sherrer told her to go to the highway and flag down law enforcement or rescue officials and lead them to the scene.

Military investigators were expected to comb through the wreckage this afternoon looking for clues about what caused the Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier to go down about two miles south of where Klement landed.

The crash site is directly across from Silver Glen Springs, somewhere near the Yearling Trail, in a remote, unpopulated region known as Juniper Wilderness Area.

Though the pilot suffered just minor injuries, he was flown by helicopter to Shands Hospital in Gainesville.

"We (Marine Corps) are very thankful, very grateful and very pleased that no one was seriously injured and no one was killed and our Marine was able to walk away and that he was OK," said Marine Gunnery Sgt. Bryce Piper, a public affairs officer with the 26th Marine Expeditionary Air Unit out of Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Piper said the unit deployed on three U.S. Naval ships out of Norfolk, Va., to undergo training exercises before deploying overseas. By Sunday evening, the fleet had reached the east coast of Florida near Jacksonville, he said.

He said the fleet — which included the Navy ships U.S.S. Kearsarge, U.S.S. Ponce and the U.S.S. Carter Hall — were performing humanitarian aid training.

The plane took off from the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Kearsarge and flew inland. Piper said he had just arrived at Naval Air Station Jacksonville when he heard something had gone wrong with the mission.

Moments later, area resident Erica Dahl, who had also seen the distressed plane, pulled up and Sherrer told her to go to the highway and flag down law enforcement or rescue officials and lead them to the scene.

Military investigators were expected to comb through the wreckage this afternoon looking for clues about what caused the Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier to go down about two miles south of where Klement landed.

The crash site is directly across from Silver Glen Springs, somewhere near the Yearling Trail, in a remote, unpopulated region known as Juniper Wilderness Area.

Though the pilot suffered just minor injuries, he was flown by helicopter to Shands Hospital in Gainesville.

"We (Marine Corps) are very thankful, very grateful and very pleased that no one was seriously injured and no one was killed and our Marine was able to walk away and that he was OK," said Marine Gunnery Sgt. Bryce Piper, a public affairs officer with the 26th Marine Expeditionary Air Unit out of Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Piper said the unit deployed on three U.S. Naval ships out of Norfolk, Va., to undergo training exercises before deploying overseas. By Sunday evening, the fleet had reached the east coast of Florida near Jacksonville, he said.

He said the fleet — which included the Navy ships U.S.S. Kearsarge, U.S.S. Ponce and the U.S.S. Carter Hall — were performing humanitarian aid training.

The plane took off from the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Kearsarge and flew inland. Piper said he had just arrived at Naval Air Station Jacksonville when he heard something had gone wrong with the mission.

Moments later, area resident Erica Dahl, who had also seen the distressed plane, pulled up and Sherrer told her to go to the highway and flag down law enforcement or rescue officials and lead them to the scene.

Military investigators were expected to comb through the wreckage this afternoon looking for clues about what caused the Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier to go down about two miles south of where Klement landed.

The crash site is directly across from Silver Glen Springs, somewhere near the Yearling Trail, in a remote, unpopulated region known as Juniper Wilderness Area.

Though the pilot suffered just minor injuries, he was flown by helicopter to Shands Hospital in Gainesville.

"We (Marine Corps) are very thankful, very grateful and very pleased that no one was seriously injured and no one was killed and our Marine was able to walk away and that he was OK," said Marine Gunnery Sgt. Bryce Piper, a public affairs officer with the 26th Marine Expeditionary Air Unit out of Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Piper said the unit deployed on three U.S. Naval ships out of Norfolk, Va., to undergo training exercises before deploying overseas. By Sunday evening, the fleet had reached the east coast of Florida near Jacksonville, he said.

He said the fleet — which included the Navy ships U.S.S. Kearsarge, U.S.S. Ponce and the U.S.S. Carter Hall — were performing humanitarian aid training.

The plane took off from the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Kearsarge and flew inland. Piper said he had just arrived at Naval Air Station Jacksonville when he heard something had gone wrong with the mission.

http://www.ocala.com/article/20100719/ARTICLES/7191008/1402/NEWS?p=1&tc=pg