F/A-18E Super Hornet Loss in Mediterranean Sea Investigation (U.S. Fleet Forces Command (Navy))

This message is to confirm your request submission to the FOIAonline application: View Request. Request information is as follows: (https://foiaonline.gov/foiaonline/action/public/submissionDetails?trackingNumber=DON-NAVY-2023-008134&type=Request)

* Tracking Number: DON-NAVY-2023-008134
* Requester Name:
Sam LaGrone
* Date Submitted: 04/02/2023
* Request Status: Submitted
* Description:
To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, I hereby request the following records:

All investigations and related material to the Command Investigation into the July 8, 2022, F/A-18E Super Hornet incident aboard USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) in which the aircraft was lost in heavy weather in the Mediterranian Sea. In addition to the findings, I would also like supplementary materials including, but not limited to, photographs, videos, audio interviews and diagrams related to safety investigations.

The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.

In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 20 business days, as the statute requires.

The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.

In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 20 business days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Sam LaGrone

Upload documents directly: https://www.muckrock.com/

Mr. LaGrone,

This email is to acknowledge receipt of your FOIA request for the
investigation and supplemental information related to the F/A-18E loss due
to inclement weather in July 2022.

This is to inform you that the investigation is not yet complete, so there
is no record to process. You can either resubmit your request in 30-45 days
(the estimated timeframe for completion), or I can just hold this request
and begin processing when there is something to process. Of course, no work
or action will be taken on this request in the interim. Please let me know
what you prefer to do.

You may reach out to me any time in the interim if you have questions
related to the processing of your request.

V/r

Linda Alvers

Linda.j.alvers.civ@us.navy.mil <mailto:Linda.j.alvers.civ@us.navy.mil>

Mr. LaGrone,

I was notified by DON FOIA Office that you wanted an update on
your original request for "All investigations and related
material to the Command Investigation into the July 8, 2022,
F/A-18E Super Hornet incident aboard USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75)
in which the aircraft was lost in heavy weather in the
Mediterranean Sea. In addition to the findings, I would also
like supplementary materials including, but not limited to,
photographs, videos, audio interviews and diagrams related to
safety investigations."

On April 3rd, I notified you that the investigation was not
complete yet, but that you could reach out to me at any time for
an update. Unfortunately, trying to predict when an
investigation will be completed is difficult-it's a guess at
best. Currently, the investigations is still on-going. It may
be completed within the next 30 days. As soon as I get word it
is complete, I will notify you of that fact and begin the
processing of your request.

As stated before, you may withdraw your request and resubmit it
in 30-45 days, or I will hold it and process it when the
investigation is complete.

Once again, if you have questions regarding this process or
anything else involving your FOIA request, you may reach out to
me at linda.j.alvers.civ@us.navy.mil
<mailto:linda.j.alvers.civ@us.navy.mil> .

Sincerely,

Linda Alvers

USFF FOIA/Privacy Coordinator

Mr. LaGrone,

As promised in my last email to you on July 31, 2023, I am
notifying you that I've just received the command investigation
report into the F/A-18E Super Hornet incident aboard USS Harry S.
Truman (CVN-75) on July 8, 2022. This document will be processed
under the FOIA as expeditiously as possible. I will keep you
apprised of the progress, but if you should have questions in the
interim, please don't hesitate to contact me at this email
address.

Sincerely,

Linda Alvers

USFF FOIA/Privacy Coordinator

Linda.j.alvers.civ@us.navy.mil
<mailto:Linda.j.alvers.civ@us.navy.mil>

Good morning,

The processing of your case is still ongoing. It is currently
under review. I will continue to check on its status and will let
you know the minute it is returned to me to complete the process.
Thank you for your patience in this matter.

Sincerely,

Linda Alvers

USFF FOIA/Privacy Coordinator

Good morning,

The basic processing of your case is complete, however, because of
its complexity and the need for additional review and coordination
with other FOIA offices, this process is taking longer than usual.
I can say that I believe the review is in its final stages. When
this review is complete, the release authority will review the
entire case file and make a final decision. I cannot give you a
specific date at this time, except to say it will be accomplished
as quickly as possible. I am hopeful that this process will wrap
up by the end of the month. Thank you very much for your patience
in this matter.

Sincerely,

Linda Alvers

USFF FOIA/Privacy Coordinator

Good morning,

As reported to you last month, the basic processing of your case is complete, but the needed review and coordination

with other FOIA offices is taking longer than expected. You must understand that, while FOIA is very important, it is but

one of many priorities of leadership. I wish I could hurry the process, but I can’t. I have gone out to those review offices as recently as yesterday to ask for a status of the review, and hope to hear back from them soon.

When this review is complete, the release authority will review the case file and make a final decision. I would expect that process will go quickly. I cannot give you a specific date at this time, except to say it will be accomplished as quickly as possible.

Thank you very much for your continued patience in this matter. I will reach out to you the minute I hear the review is complete and back with the release authority, and will provide a better estimated completion date at that time.

Sincerely,

Linda Alvers

USFF FOIA/Privacy Coordinator

Good morning,

I apologize for the late response. The review of the investigation report you have requested should be completed by the end of the month, if not sooner. I would expect the release decision to be made shortly after that, depending on the holiday schedules of those involved. So, I would expect to be able to provide the releasable portions to you no later than 5 January 2024. If that should change, I will notify you immediately.

Sincerely,

Linda Alvers

USFF FOIA/Privacy Coordinator

Linda.j.alvers.civ@us.navy.mil <mailto:Linda.j.alvers.civ@us.navy.mil>

Hello,

We are ready to provide a formal response and responsive
documents (redacted). However, the files are quite large-almost
2 Gigabytes-so I need to know if the address used above is able
to receive large files from DOD SAFE. DOD SAFE is a DOD program
that allows the safe transfer of large files to recipients that
can be used within the government and to others outside of the
government.

Please let me know as soon as possible if the email address above
is where I should send the documents.

V/r

Linda

Mr. LaGrone,

The responsive documents (redacted) have been sent to you via DOD
SAFE, a safe file transfer site used by the DOD. You should be
getting an email soon with directions on how to download the
documents. The pass phrase you will need is: FA18ResponseDocs

Please let me know when you get the email and again, once you've
successfully downloaded the files. I sent this email to both
emails because I wasn't sure which one to use.

If you have questions, you can reach me at this email below.

Sincerely,

Linda Alvers

Linda.j.alvers.civ@us.navy.mil
<mailto:Linda.j.alvers.civ@us.navy.mil>

*** DO NOT FORWARD ***

This is an automated message sent to you by the DoD SAFE service.
ALVERS.LINDA.JEAN <linda.j.alvers.civ@us.navy.mil> has dropped off 3 files for you.
IF YOU TRUST THE SENDER, and are expecting to receive a file from them, you may choose to retrieve the drop-off by clicking the following link (or copying and pasting it into your web browser):
https://safe.apps.mil/pickup.php?claimID=GgmRQwuDk6WcdzJZ&recipCode=iJYY4w

** This drop-off is encrypted. **<br />
To download any files you must have the correct passphrase, which you can only get from the sender.
You have 7 days to retrieve the drop-off; after that the link above will expire. If you wish to contact the sender, just reply to this email.
The sender has left you a note:
This is the response letter to your FOIA request case number 2023-008134. Also included are the redacted responsive documents--718 pages. The file size is extremely large (1.7 gigabytes), probably because some are photos and the addition of the redaction software. If you have questions, please email me. DOD SAFE will send an email with directions on how to download the documents.
V/r Linda Alvers

Full information about the drop-off:
Claim ID: GgmRQwuDk6WcdzJZ Recipient Code: iJYY4w
Claim Passcode: uS6ScygPM4BFKapi Drop-off Submitted: 2024-01-08 19:20:49 UTC Drop-off Completed: 2024-01-08 19:21:32 UTC
-- Sender --
Name: ALVERS.LINDA.JEAN Organization: USN Email Address: linda.j.alvers.civ@us.navy.mil
-- Files --
Name: Lagrone FOIA Response Ltr.pdf Description: Response Letter Size: 151552 SHA-256 Checksum: 36EB64D351654F326E584F2522CD30070A44D2F163EB6782CC5AA84D964B76F8 Content Type: application/pdf
Name: r_FA18 Redacted Doc Part 1_Reduced.pdf Description: Investigation and enclosures Size: 1055114152 SHA-256 Checksum: D32EB1FDBA7CF2EF4AF19FFA73CC41EBE373C433734385D2467DE2F2DE0D98A5 Content Type: application/pdf
Name: r_FA18 Redacted Doc Part 2_Reduced.pdf Size: 64885100 SHA-256 Checksum: FD7EC5BCDDD3C1D49C3A79084ECC2ABA8FAE75AF84431EF3CDC43E895A79158E Content Type: application/pdf

NOTICE: This e-mail message is intended solely for the use of the addressee. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any reading, dissemination, distribution, copying, or other use of this message or its attachments is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please notify the sender immediately.

Thank you.

Hi, can I get the decryption pass phrase?
I’ve never had to deal with that.