Pilots killed in crash were experienced

PORTLAND — The two Marine reservists killed when their fighter jet collided with another plane over the Columbia River were experienced aviators who spent years in active duty and flew as commercial pilots, their commanding officer said.

Maj. Gary Fullerton, 36, of Spartanburg, S.C., and Capt. Jeffrey Ross, 36, of Old Hickory, Tenn., died Wednesday after the FA/18 Hornets crashed during a routine training exercise in northeastern Oregon. Fullerton was the plane’s pilot; Ross was his observer.

The pilot of the other plane, 38-year-old Maj. Craig Barden, of El Dorado Hills, Calif., survived with minor injuries. He is expected to be sent soon to the Balboa Naval Medical Center in San Diego for observation.

“I can’t thank God enough,” his wife, Cynthia Barden, said Friday from their home in the Sacramento suburb. “I’m very relieved and happy he is with us. I owe it all to God and Craig’s flying skills that he made it out alive.”

The Bardens have two children: 5-year-old Cole and 3-year-old Sophia.

All three men involved in Wednesday’s crash belonged to a 150-member Marine reserve squadron based at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego. About 50 aviators arrived in Portland on July 11 for a two-week training mission.

Lt. Col. Jay Arnett, who commands the squadron, said the aviators were scheduled to return to the base Friday afternoon.

“Our unit is a tight-knit family and takes care of each other,” Arnett said at a news conference at the Portland Air National Guard Base. “(Fullerton and Ross) were our brothers, and they will be sorely missed.”

According to Arnett, Fullerton had served nine years of active duty with the U.S. Marine Corps before joining the squadron more than five years ago. He worked as a pilot for FedEx Corp. in Los Angeles.

Ross had been with the unit six or seven months, but he served five years of active duty beforehand, Arnett said. He was a pilot for Comair, a subsidiary of Delta Air Lines, the commander said. A spokesman for Cinncinnati-based Comair said Ross did not appear to be a current employee, based on a search of company records.

“They were both experienced Marines, both experienced pilots,” Arnett said, noting that Fullerton and Ross had also been deployed overseas.

Barden served 10 years of active duty before joining the reserves seven years ago, Arnett said.

The investigation into the crash continued Friday as about 50 Oregon National Guardsmen combed the fields near Arlington for debris. They mapped and tagged bits of twisted metal, carbon fibers and other materials, Guard Capt. Misti Mazzia said.

Mazzia said heavy barges and cranes would begin removing the wreckage from the river this weekend.