Page 44 - DFCS NEWS MAGAZINE 2018-2
P. 44

On the Eisenhower; Steven far left, Ed Poynton far right.
Most of the missions were flown with a crew of
four; pilot, copilot, mission controller and radar
operator. The flight on that fateful day was planned
as a normal mission. Steven had volunteered to fly
the mission and convinced Ed Poynton to fly with
him as it was then scheduled to be their last flight
together, little knowing how prophetic that was.
The crew was flying Bluetail 601 with Steven as
the pilot and plane commander and his copilot was
Lt. Jeremy Arnott who had also graduated from the
same college as Steven, however two years later.
The mission controller was his best friend
Lt. Ed Poynton, and the radar operator was
Lt. Jg. Richard Holt.
After about four hours into the mission, the crew was told that their relief had taken off and they were cleared to return to the carrier.
They were descending enroute to the
Eisenhower when Jeremy reported that engine two
was losing oil pressure. The Air Boss aboard
Eisenhower cleared them for an immediate single engine landing.
As the oil pressure continued dropping, the crew followed the engine shutdown procedures, but the propeller would not feather due to a series of mechanical failures. The aircraft then became nearly uncontrollable in a matter of seconds.
Unable to arrest the descent, Steven realized that the crew needed to bail out immediately. He gave the order as he tried to keep the aircraft flying while they exited the aircraft.
As the copilot, Jeremy Arnott was the last to go. He was expecting Steven to follow him, however, Steven could not leave his place at the controls. It was estimated that when Jeremy bailed out, the plane was just 300 feet above the water. The three survivors were picked up quickly, since the crash was only five miles from the Eisenhower. The search for Steven went on for 72 hours but he was never found.
His parents and his wife and children were devastated by the news. There were many people offering support and there were several memorials dedicated to Steven, but the book “Flight to Eternity” provides the best memorial as it tells the story of a true American Hero in great detail.
I can only give a very short synopsis and can’t begin to describe the pain felt by everyone. I have had difficulty writing this article as his story has deeply touched me.
I have corresponded with his mother Anna and with his best friend Ed, but I think what really made me write this story is thinking back to the days when I was flying the Navy S-2 Tracker from aircraft carriers. I keep wondering if I could have handled the same situation as well as Steven did and for some reason this makes me feel really connected with him. Although I never met him, I now feel that I know him. His DFC citation is in this issue of the DFCS News Magazine. -Chuck Sweeney
Lt. Steven ‘Abrek’ Zilberman flying the E-2C Hawkeye.
WINTER 2018 / DFCS News Magazine / 45







































































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