VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – Saturday marks the seventh year anniversary of the jet crash that became known as the ‘Good Friday Miracle’ because no one was killed or seriously injured.
On Good Friday in 2012, an F/A 18D Navy jet assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 106 at Naval Air Station Oceana crashed into the Mayfair Mews Apartments on Birdneck Road.
Remarkably, the pilots of the 40,000 pound jet and the people on the ground were all able to escape without any serious injuries.
Michael Moody, a Mayfair Mews Apartments resident on the day of the crash, remembers the sight, sound and smell of burning jet fuel.
“I saw a big huge flash as the ground moved up and down real quick,” Moody told News 3 one year after the crash happened.
Forty apartments were reported to be destroyed after the crash. Dozens of residents were displaced for over a month due to the crash but after the apartments were repaired, many moved back in.
However, the Mayfair Mews property owners sold the lot to a builder who tore down the standing units to start on a new project.
There were some that said the sight was a painful memory of the jet crash, but residents like Pat Kavanaugh knew the outcome could have been much more devastating, “the chances of me losing my life that day—it was close,” said Kavanaugh.
Complete coverage: Good Friday Miracle Jet Crash
