MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, Calif. -- An aircrew with Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 352, Marine Aircraft Group 11, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, assisted a downed civilian aircraft near Chowchilla, Calif., Sept. 19.

The circa-1940 Navion aircraft had departed Calaveras County Airport and was enroute to Ramona Airport. The plane went down in an agricultural area after the engine sputtered to a halt as the pilot switched between fuel tanks.

"The engine quit when I switched the fuel tanks, and it failed to restart despite all my efforts," said Dennis B. Dooley, pilot of the Navion. "I was hoping to have enough glide path to make it to the nearest airport, but I didn't and decided on somewhere to set it down."

With his chosen location virtually lifeless, Dooley brushed the tops of several trees as he attempted to control his descent. With hydraulic pressure failure throughout the aircraft, Dooley put the plane down on its exposed belly without extended landing gear. The Navion's right wing hit a pole at the end of the road, turning the aircraft sharply and stopping it only moments before sliding into a pond.

A KC-130J Hercules from VMGR-352 was enroute to Castle Airport in Atwater, Calif., when they received a signal from the Emergency Locator Transmitter on Dooley's plane.

"We got a reading from an ELT going off," said Capt. Constantinos Koutsoukos, pilot, VMGR-352. "We called the Oakland (Air Traffic Control) and told them that we had a signal from an ELT. We switched to the Fresno approach, and they asked us if we could give some assistance.

"They gave us locations to where they thought it was, but we had pointers on the aircraft giving us the precise location of the downed aircraft," added the Pawtucket, R.I., native. "We then circled the aircraft and helped assistance reach the crash site."

According to Dooley, he had no communication with the KC-130J Hercules.

"They were the first ones to see me," said the Angels Camp, Calif., native, a former Navy lieutenant who flew combat sorties in A-4 Skyhawks during Vietnam. "They were flying overhead trying to direct police and ambulances to where I was, and they hung out overhead until that help arrived."

The crew of the KC-130J was critical to locating the downed aircraft and aiding the distressed pilot.

"They really helped the Fresno (Air Traffic Control) locate the aircraft," said Cheryl Jones, liaison, Federal Aviation Administration, Marine Corps Air Bases Western Area. "While orbiting overhead the KC-130J crew was able to direct law enforcement to the exact crash site."

According to Maj. Anthony Barnes, pilot, VMGR-352, there is a procedure checklist specifically for these types of situations.

"It is common-sense stuff," said Barnes, a Pensacola, Fla., native. "The first part is to locate the crash site. Once the site is found, we have to bring the police department in."
When the local police department made it to the crash site, they immediately evacuated the 61-year-old pilot, who suffered minor back injuries.

"I was impressed that the (KC-130J) and its crew hung around and tried to communicate with the emergency people on the ground until they arrived on the scene," said Dooley. "I'm grateful that they did that, as they were flying overhead for more than an hour."

Dooley was treated for his injuries at a local hospital near Chowchilla, Calif.