Remains identified as Air Force reservist

  • Published
  • By Maj. James R. Wilson
  • 939th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
PORTLAND, Ore. --  Remains discovered off the California coast in September have been positively identified as that of an Air Force reservist and passenger on an HC-130 cargo aircraft, call sign King 56, that crashed into the Pacific Ocean 10 years ago.

Staff Sgt. Jonathan R. Leonard was on board King 56 when it went down Nov. 22, 1996. Ten other members of the 939th Rescue Wing were on board. Only one crewmember survived.

The Coast Guard recovered two bodies after the crash. Navy efforts to recover the remains of the other reservists were only partially successful. 

In September, a fishing boat crew dredging the waters west of Punta Gorda, Calif., discovered Sergeant Leonard's remains. The fishermen also found an aircrew survival suit, a black t-shirt, and a partial name tag with the name "Leonard." 

Sergeant Leonard was an intelligence specialist from LaGrande, Ore. He joined the Air Force Reserve Command rescue unit in July 1991.

His remains were identified by the Armed Force's Medical Examiner's Office using mitochondrial DNA among other forensic identification tools. Now that the identification has been completed, the remains are being returned to the sergeant's family for burial. (AFRC News Service)