(WAVY) — A report obtained by the Navy Times has found a U.S. Navy sailor killed by a propeller on the flight deck of the USS George H.W. Bush “lost situational awareness” before he was hit.
The report found all rules and regulations were followed before the accident, although the investigator acknowledged there were challenges faced by those on the flight deck in maintaining safety arcs “on multiple spinning aircraft propellers at the same time, especially when two operating aircraft are parked next to each other,” according to the Navy Times article, which published Jan. 16.
Officials identified the sailor killed as Airman Apprentice Joseph Min Naglak, of New Jersey.
Naglak was killed in September 2018 when he was struck by the turning propeller of an E-2C Hawkeye after securing the aircraft to the flight deck, officials said.
Naglak enlisted in the Navy in April 2017, and reported to the USS George H.W. Bush four months later–after he completed his training in Pensacola, Florida.
Naval Air Force Atlantic released a statement on Naglak’s death following the incident:
“The loss of a shipmate is a heartbreaking experience for a crew of a Naval vessel and those aboard USS George H.W. Bush will mourn Naglak’s passing and remember him always for his devoted service and sacrifice to our Nation.”
