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Report of Findings - Page 2

* Because of the Harrier's safety record the USMC ordered a massive investigation to find and correct the Harrier's faults. This is the much heralded Harrier Review Panel or HaRP. While the USMC pledged yearly updates from the 1998 HaRP panel, until the Harrier mishap rate was cut in half, there have been no published updated reports, even though there was a meeting of the full panel in April 1999 and an executive meeting March 28, 2000.

* And the following recent statements of people involved with the Harrier program are not reassuring.

Maj. Clint Higginbotham (ret.) wrote a letter to the Marine Corps Times (8-14-00): Beginning in 1978 with the AV-8A and through 21 years of service, I worked on every model and prototype of the Harrier. When I retired, I was a working member of the HaRP. Lack of personnel and engine problems are constants that were barely addressed by the HaRP. Any layman can see by looking at the crash history that the engine is the No.1 problem. Additionally, the lack of personnel has not been adequately addressed by the HaRP. The HaRP should address the real problems and stop playing around with neat new toys.

The new commandant, Gen. James L. Jones said in June 2000: "There are still some disturbing trend lines in terms of the crash rate and the accident rate. Whether it's a maintenance problem, a parts problem or a manufacturing problem, it needs to be illuminated and identified, because this is unacceptable.

Lt. Col. Bob Claypool, the tactical air section head and AV-8B coordinator at Marine Corps Headquarters and a Harrier pilot since 1984 is quoted in the Marine Corps Times (7-24-00): Any time you have a systemic problem with your motor or your airframe, you stop, and now you're behind," he said. "You're not building flight time, you're not training people, you're not keeping instructors current. There's a price to pay.

* Aircraft are made of exotic materials that cause highly toxic fumes and clouds of dust which can contaminate an area of many square miles around the site. The dust clouds contain needle-stick filaments, which if inhaled are potentially carcinogenic. These have the potential to be more dangerous than the crash itself. The effects for both rescue crews, and members of the public who live or are visiting as tourists in the vicinity, are highly dangerous. Prevailing winds could put White Oak Elementary and the Day Care at the Emerald Isle Recreation Center within the fallout of a crash.

* The current traffic pattern over Emerald Isle is classified as being Accident Potential Zone II (APZ II) by the Department of Defense Air Installation Compatible Use Zone (AICUZ) study. This is the second highest accident potential area that is allowed to be developed, and lower density development only is recommended.

* Given the above, there is a significant probability that an AV-8 could have an emergency over Emerald Isle with the current traffic patterns. As excellent as we believe our local rescue people to be, we have a concern that Emerald Isle's EMS and Fire Department are not fully prepared for such a disaster through no fault of their own. No drills have been conducted where Bogue Field personnel actually come across the bridge to respond to a simulated accident in a residential or commercial area of Emerald Isle.

It is recommended that the Emerald Isle Board of Commissioners adopt a resolution asking the USMC to issue a moratorium prohibiting all flights over Emerald Isle and low level flights over populated areas until the USMC provides information that indicates the issues regarding Safety to the Residents and Tourists are resolved.

It is recommended that a formal agreement be established between the USMC and Emerald Isle to insure Fire Department/EMS personnel know how to deal with an aircraft disaster and its potential for widespread dangers to civilians.

II. Measure and Report Actual Noise Levels

* The Bogue Field Committee was unable to establish any empirical data about the actual noise levels experienced in Emerald Isle due to aircraft operating out of Bogue Field. There is much anecdotal evidence to support that noise levels in some areas are disruptive to the residents and visitors, and there is suspicion that these levels could even exceed published danger thresholds.

* The USMC has never conducted tests in Emerald Isle to determine actual decibel (db) noise levels. They use computer models to project what noise levels should be when aircraft are operating at published altitudes, power levels, flight modes and traffic patterns. The simulations do not project noise levels when aircraft are operated other than normal, which they frequently are.

* If flight patterns were adjusted slightly to avoid direct overflights of Emerald Isle, the noise problem would almost certainly be resolved, and on-the-ground monitoring of noise levels would become unnecessary.

It is recommended that the military conduct actual field tests in Emerald Isle and report the findings in terms that are comparable to National Institute of Safety and Health (NIOSH) standards.

It is recommended that constant or periodic audits of noise levels be conducted as long as Bogue Field operations include overflights of Emerald Isle.