The crash of an EA-6B Prowler in a remote area of northeastern Oregon March 3 was caused by “catastrophic failure of the right engine,” according to a Navy public affairs officer.

Kim Martin, Whidbey Island Naval Air Station public affairs officer, said investigators haven’t been able to determine the cause of the engine failure. The investigation and report on the accident are not complete.

Four crew members in the electronic warfare airplane parachuted to safety. One of the men had a broken leg, while the others sustained only scratches, bumps and bruises.

The aircraft was attached to Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 135, which is stationed at Whidbey Island Naval Air Station and aboard USS Nimitz. The plane was on a routine training mission when it went down in an unpopulated area.

Martin said investigators were able to rule out one cause — a defective bearing in the right engine. Defective bearings in the right engines caused two Prowler crashes within a week in 2001, with only minor injuries to the crews. One of the planes was out of Whidbey and crashed in the Olympic Peninsula.

The 2001 crash caused a bit of a stir because the defective parts had been recommended for redesign years earlier, according to the Seattle Times.

According to the Navy, the EA-6B Prowler is a four-seat, long-range, all-weather jet aircraft with advanced electronic countermeasures capability. The Prowler provides an umbrella of protection for strike aircraft, ground troops and ships by jamming enemy radar, electronic data links and communications.

The Navy plans to replace the aging Prowlers with EA-18G Growlers, though the U.S House’s recent defense spending bill shifted funding away from the Growlers, possibly delaying the program by a year or more.

VAQ-135, the “Black Ravens,” participated in Operation Iraqi Freedom last year from the Arabian Gulf and Al Asad Air Base, Iraq, providing critical support to ground forces.

You can reach Jessie Stensland at jstensland@whidbeynewstimes.com or 675-6611.