The Lost Intruder, the Search for a Missing Navy Jet

by Peter M. Hunt

“Although I owned a boat, I had no sonar, metal detector or any practical method of surveying the ocean bottom. With an incurable illness, no prospect of financial reward, little chance of success, brain surgery looming, and one child in college with another about to start, I was not in a position to spend thousands of dollars on a search. Still, desperate for a distraction, anything to pry my focus away from the disease, I decided—the hell with Parkinson’s. I’m doing it.” - From The Lost Intruder

On a windy, Autumn day in 1989, a U.S. Navy A-6 Intruder crashed off the shores of Whidbey Island, Washington. The Navy mounted a comprehensive, four-ship search for the attack jet with advanced sonar systems and remotely operated mini-submarines. They came up empty handed.

Former Navy pilot Peter Hunt knew the lost Intruder well. The jet came from his squadron; he had flown it from the deck of the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Ranger. Standing in the squadron ready room, Hunt listened to the radio transmissions as the accident unfolded: the hydraulic malfunction, the aborted mission, the futile attempt to lower the landing gear, and finally the violent ejection into Puget sound. Puzzled by the failed Navy search, Hunt long imagined the thrill of finding the A-6 and accomplishing what the U.S. Navy could not.

But time was running out. At age 43, Hunt was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. After ten years of worsening symptoms, no longer permitted to fly, and barely able to scuba dive, Hunt knew that he was losing the battle. Desperate for a rallying point to prove to himself that life still mattered, Hunt struck out in 2014 to find the missing A-6. Naval Aviation, deep technical wreck diving, high seas exploration, and one man’s optimistic refusal to quit converge in a salute to life’s possibility. The Lost Intruder soars in a triumph of the human spirit—see what it means to be alive.

Genres: Fiction

238 pages, Paperback

First published September 15, 2017

About the author

Peter Hunt was born in New York and spent six years of his childhood in Athens, Greece where he started diving in 1978. He graduated with a history degree from Brown University in 1985 before joining the Navy and training as an A-6 Intruder attack pilot. Hunt completed three aircraft carrier deployments to the Persian Gulf, Indian Ocean, and Western Pacific during ten years of active duty. His military awards include the Distinguished Flying Cross and three Air Medals for combat action during Operation Desert Storm. After leaving the Navy, Hunt worked as a United Airlines pilot until being diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 2005 at age 43. The father of two adult children, Hunt holds a Masters in Strategic Planning for Critical Infrastructure from the University of Washington and lives with his wife on Whidbey Island, Washington. He is the author of The Lost Intruder, The Search for a Missing Navy Jet, Angles of Attack, an A-6 Intruder Pilot’s War, and Setting the Hook, a Diver’s Return to the Andrea Doria. His most recent book is The Lost Intruder, the Search for a Missing Navy Jet (September 15, 2017). For more information, please go to www.peterhuntbooks.com.

Reviews

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lost Intruder is a thoughtful, enlightening, and completely entertaining memoir. The exciting tales of Naval Aviation, (very) deep sea wreck diving (both ship and aircraft), sunken treasure hunting, the ravages of a relentless disease, and the hopeful apprehension of cutting-edge surgery are written with a technical but easy to understand precision that conveys an edge-of-the-seat thrill. My real enjoyment from this book however came in the description of Hunt’s search for self-discovery and enlightenment in an attempt to control his life. This deep, complicated, and very personal journey of self-reflection is never boastful or boring but rather encouraging and inspirational.

I have read all three of Hunt’s books and this was far and away the best of the very good bunch.

[Kmag54 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Impossible odds and a redoubtable spirit

Superlative writing that takes aviator adventure tales to a new level of existentialism. There are pain-filled episodes described that are indelible once read. However, the author found that his debilitations unexpectedly enhanced his inner life and perceptions of others. Very memorable and graciously instructive. This is a rare find.