RICARDO, Texas — Investigators working at the site of Monday's Navy training jet crash got some help Tuesday in the form of an agency with a lengthy name.
The Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command has come in to assist in the investigation and to cleanup any hazardous materials that may have come from the downed plane.
That crew is working quickly and with good reason.
“Our team wanted to get on site to see what the area looks like, what kind of equipment we’re going to have to mobilize, and are there any special requirements based on the land or the weather that’s coming,” NFESC Public Affairs Officer Susan Brink said.
Storms are in the forecast for Wednesday which could make the search for clues into the cause of the crash more difficult.
But Brink says her crew is used to working in the elements.
“If there’s weather that’s coming and we know about it, and we know what’s out here (at the crash site) already, we will prepare in advance," she said. "And we do that all the time."
The NFESC's first task is helping investigators gather wreckage from the jet and transport it to a hangar at Naval Air Station-Kingsville.
That controlled environment, away from the elements, will help investigators examine it more thoroughly.
After that, the crew will turn their attention to their primary objective -- cleaning up hazardous materials, like jet fuel.
“Our goal is to return the soil and the property back to its standard state," Brink said.
