Here is one that brings back memories. This is the Squadron I served in from November 1978 to September 1981. I had gone to FRAMP (Fleet Replacement Aviation Maintenance Personnal) School after leaving A School , from 30 June 1978 to October 1978 and had a two week leave before going to my Permanent Duty Station in Rota Spain. This video shows both the inside and outside of the EA-3B very well, including the hatch on the bottom that killed my friend TJ.
An In Flight Plane Captain in Training had Combat Presurized the Cabin (a total no no on the Flight Line) and was giving TJ a signal that TJ did not understand and was likely incorrect since TJ was an experienced Lineman. The Trainee Plane Captain then directed TJ to open the lower hatch to confer and neglected to relieve the Combat Pressurization. The hatch was 50+ inches long and about 34" wide weighing in @ 90 + pounds, add to that 2.5 to 3.5 PSI of Combat Pressurization and well over two and a half tons of force knocked TJ head first into the Nose Landing Gear Strut splattering brain, blood and such all over the Tarmac.
I had been relieved of my weekend Duty early so I was at Benny's Bar,and because they didn't want any of TJs Line Shack buddies to have to clean up what was left after the Paramedics took his body away, they (Maintenance Control) got two guys from Airframes Shop to hose off the Tarmac, one of whom was my buddy Oscar, because they did not know that Oscar and TJ were good friends. So none of us who ran with TJ were happy about his death, but Oscar was especially upset.
