SAN DIEGO - Memorials began Friday for four members of a University City family -- including an infant and a toddler -- killed when a disabled fighter jet crashed into their home moments after the pilot safely ejected. A closed-casket viewing was under way tonight at a Bonita-area funeral home for Young Mi Yoon, 36; her daughters, 15-month-old Grace and 7-week-old Rachel; and Yoon's 60-year-old mother, Seokim Kim. A burial service is scheduled for Saturday afternoon. The women and children were killed when the Marine Corps F/A-18D Hornet plunged into their Cather Avenue home just before noon Monday. The younger woman's husband and father of the girls, 37-year-old Don Yoon, was at work at the time. The fiery crash destroyed the rented house along with a next-door residence that was unoccupied at the time. The pilot, USMC Lt. Dan Neubauer, 28, parachuted into the residential area just west of Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. At the time of the accident, Neubauer was heading toward the nearby military base, where he is stationed, to make an emergency landing. Medics took him to a hospital for an evaluation and released him that evening. On the morning of the accident, Neubauer had been training on the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln when one of the jet's engines failed over the ocean, according to Marine Corps officials. He was ordered to fly to Miramar rather than return to the ship, and while flying over northern San Diego, the jet lost its second engine, forcing him to bail out with seconds to spare. While asserting that Neubauer followed proper procedure, military authorities have promised to conduct an exhaustive investigation and take measures ensuring that such a tragedy will never happen again. The task of processing and fully cleaning up the crash site is likely to take several weeks, according to military authorities. The Yoons' church, Korean United Methodist Church, has announced the establishment of a memorial fund to help the family's grieving patriarch pay for funeral expenses. Those wishing to contribute may send checks care of Don Yoon, Account No. 200-717-333, Hanmi Bank -- San Diego Branch, 4637 Convoy St., Suite 101, San Diego, Calif. 92111.
Cleanup Efforts
SAN DIEGO - Cleanup efforts and on-site investigations at the scene of this week's deadly crash of a fighter jet in University City will take at least seven days, and possibly twice that long, Marine Corps officials said Wednesday. Masked military personnel spent the day combing through the scorched rubble of two homes leveled when the disabled F/A-18D Hornet plunged into a residential area at Cather Avenue and Huggins Street just before noon Monday, moments after the pilot safely ejected. Killed in the crash were Young Mi Yoon, 36; her daughters, Grace and Rachel Yoon, who were 15 months and 2 months old, respectively; and her 60-year-old mother, Suk Im Kim. Yoon's husband and father of the girls, Don Yoon, 37, was at work at the time of the crash. The second house demolished in the fiery plane wreck was unoccupied at the time. Three other homes sustained varying amounts of damage.  Homes burn on Cather Avenue after the fighter jet crash. (Photo: Ali Lai)
 (Photo: Karen Pretzel)The pilot of the jet, who was on a training mission off the carrier Abraham Lincoln, had been ordered to fly to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar rather than return to the ship after one of its engines failed. A witness who spoke with the flier minutes after the crash said the serviceman told him the aircraft's second engine went out as he neared the military base, forcing him to bail out. 
Approximate direction F-18 was heading as it crashed into home. 
Google Map's Street View photo of the home prior to crash.
The pilot parachuted into the neighborhood near University City High School, landing in a tree and getting briefly hung up in its branches. He was taken to a hospital for an evaluation and released that evening. 
F-18 pilot's parachute dangles in trees near canyon home after pilot ejects from plane. (Photo: Matthew Gorsuch)
Authorities have withheld his name but an unnamed Marine Corps source identified him as Lt. Dan Neubauer, 28. 
Pilot ejected from the F-18 jet which crashed into a residential area of University City. 
(Photos: Matthew Gorsuch)
The disaster left about a half-dozen homes near the two gutted houses temporarily uninhabitable. Most of the affected residents were able to return by Tuesday evening.
The Marine Corps has taken charge of the cordoned-off crash scene, said USMC Cpl. Frances Goch of the MCAS Miramar public affairs office.
The 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing is heading the probe into the cause of the accident, she said. Investigators from the Naval Safety Center traveled from Norfolk, Va., are assisting in gathering evidence. 
Masked military personnel amidst the scorched rubble.
County hazardous-materials personnel were aiding the military in making sure no toxic substances, including remnants of fiberglass and jet fuel, create public health hazards.
Military officials initially predicted they would be at the scene for five to seven days, but have since revised that timeline upwards to as much as two weeks.
Authorities have cautioned anyone finding debris from the downed jet not to touch it and to notify the Marine Corps by calling (858) 577-1727.
From 7:30 to 8:30 this evening, the victims' house of worship, Korean United Methodist Church, 3520 Mount Acadia Blvd., is holding a memorial service for the late members of the Yoon family. The public is invited.
Demand for Inspections
SAN DIEGO (AP) -- California's U.S. senators are joining the call for the Marine Corps to review its entire fleet of F/A18-D Hornet jets for possible problems after a fiery crash killed a woman, her two young daughters and their grandmother. In a joint letter, Sens. Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein asked Gen. James Conway, Marines commandant, to quickly complete the investigation of Monday's crash and make the results public. A Marine spokesman had no immediate comment on the request. Initial reports suggest the jet may have suffered engine failure on a training exercise after takeoff from the carrier USS Abraham Lincoln about 50 miles offshore from San Diego. Rep. Duncan Hunter previously called on the Marine Corps to release the maintenance records of all its F/A-18D Hornet fighters. 
F/A-18D Hornet similar to the jet that crashed.
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Father Speaks
SAN DIEGO - A University City man who lost his family to a military jet crash that destroyed their home thanked the community Tuesday for its support and said he had "no hard feelings" for the pilot who ejected from the plane moments before the deadly accident. Speaking in a halting words punctuated by long, grieving silences, Dong Yun Yoon told news crews near the ruins of the Cather Avenue home where the family had lived for several weeks that he wanted to "thank all the people who are praying for me and for my family." "And I heard they found one of my missing daughters (today), so I really thank the people who helped to find my family," he said. Killed in the crash of the F/A-18 Hornet on Monday was Yoon's 36-year-old wife, Young Mi Yoon, daughters Grace, 15 months old, and 2-month-old Rachel, and his mother-in-law, Kim Suk Im, 60. Emergency crews found the bodies of all the victims except Grace within hours of the midday accident, which destroyed two homes and damaged three others. Search personnel found the toddler's body early this afternoon. Yoon said he could not have imagined "such a horrible thing would have happened, especially right here, right (at) our house." "But I believe my wife and two babies and mother-in-law are in heaven with God," he said. "And I know God is taking care of them." When Yoon, accompanied by his brother, sister, pastor and fellow members of Korean United Methodist Church, approached the charred remnants of his home this afternoon, he stopped and put a white handkerchief to his face, looking unsteady on his feet. His brother put his arms around him and appeared to be helping him stand upright. Yoon told reporters he had gotten the news that the pilot involved in the crash had escaped harm. "Please pray for him not to suffer from this accident," Yoon said. "I know he's one of our treasures, for the country, and I ... don't blame him. I don't have any hard feelings. I know he did everything he could." Yoon at times seemed overwhelmed by the enormity of the tragedy that had befallen him. "But I know there are many people who have experienced more terrible things. Please tell me how -- how to do it." Yoon described his lost family with reverence. "My wife -- it was God's blessing that I met her about four years ago, and we got married," he said quietly. "She's just such a lovely wife and mother, who always loves me, and (the) babies. I just miss her so much." He then mentioned his daughters and their ages. "I cannot believe that they are not here right now," he said. Yoon's mother-in-law had recently arrived from Korea "to take care of my babies," he said. "My father-in-law is coming tomorrow, and I don't know what to tell him. I don't know if he'll ever forgive me." Before stepping away from the banks of cameras and microphones in front of him, Yoon expressed his thanks for those who have reached out to try to help him through his grief. "There are many people who help me," he said. "Our pastor, you know many people from our church, (the) police department, fire department -- I really thank them."
 |  F-18 Crashes, Kills Three, One Missing 12/8/08
A military jet cuts a path of destruction through a University City neighborhood. Three people are dead and a fourth still missing from a home where two children, a mother and a grandmother were believed to have been inside. |
 | F-18 Crash Witnesses 12/8/08
It was a horrific sight as many watched a fighter plane crash into their neighborhood. We spoke with some of those residents who heard and saw everything. |
 | Crash Victims and Crash History 12/8/08
Three people are dead and a fourth still missing after an F-18 crashed into the house. The latest on the victims and a look at other area crashes of military jets. |
 | School Lockdown 12/8/08
Students at nearby schools had a very clear view of the F-18 crash. Students and parents describe the jet's final moments. |
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