JOEL A. KORKOWSKI, LT, USN

Joel Korkowski '94

Date of birth: February 23, 1972

Date of death: October 18, 2002

Age: 30

Naval Academy Experience

Joel seems to have attended the Naval Academy for approximately two years prior to his resignation.

Photographs

"Kristin '95 and Joel '94 Korkowski at Aggie Ring Dance."
From his high school yearbook

Loss

Joel was lost on October 18, 2002 when the F/A-18F Super Hornet he was piloting collided with another and crashed into the Pacific Ocean off California. The other officer aboard and the two in the other aircraft were also killed. He was a member of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 41.

Other Information

From Your Houston News on October 23, 2002:

Korkowski, 30, was aboard one of two fighter jets that collided with each other on Friday. Four Naval officers were missing after the collision, according to the Associated Press.
The U.S. Coast Guard on Saturday called off their search for the missing pilots, due to sea and weather conditions and the amount of time that had passed since the crash.
Although no bodies have been found, military officials and family members fear the worst.
Korkowski graduated in 1990 from Clear Lake High School and attended the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. for two years, then resigned. After that, he attended Texas A&M University, graduating in 1994 with a degree in aerospace engineering.
"He is a very well thought-of young man around here," said Susan Hannz, whose husband recruited Korkowski into the Navy. "He was always so nice, a very well-rounded man."
Korkowski's father, James, was also a fighter pilot who worked for NASA. He died of cancer-related illness in 1986.
James Korkowski was a pilot for the Illinois National Guard and the Federal Aviation Administration before joining NASA.
Sources say Joel Korkowski's dream was to be an astronaut, the same vision his father shared.
After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Joel Korkowski flew an F-14 fighter jet over Afghanistan. At the time of the crash, he was piloting a F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter.
Korkowski was a member of the Strike Fighter Squadron 41, stationed at Lemoore Naval Air Station near Fresno, CA.
Korkowski's mother, Sarah, reportedly lives in Illinois. Her hometown is listed as Rushville, Il. Korkowski also has a brother named Luke, who lives in Washington, D.C.
Korkowski's wife, Kris, is seven months pregnant with their child, said Patty Ferry, a family friend. The two met at A&M, Ferry said.
"He's not like any kid you could ever meet," Ferry said of Korkowski. "He made such a positive impression on everyone around him."
Korkowski was reportedly planning on attending a graduate school in Monterrey, Calif., at the time of the crash.
"He's an outstanding person," said Diana Wisdom, whose husband Jack is in the Navy with Korkowski.
Korkowski was brought up attending Clear Lake Presbyterian Church and was heavily involved in the popular Christian "Young Life" program, friends say.

From The Hartford Sentinel on October 31, 2012:

Naval aviators take to skies to remember pilots killed a decade ago
USS JOHN C. STENNIS— Aviators from Naval Air Station Lemoore took to the skies over the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis earlier this month to perform a missing man formation in remembrance of naval aviators killed in a mishap a decade ago.
On Oct. 18, 2002, two F/A-18F Super Hornets from the Black Aces of Strike Fighter Squadron VFA-41 collided during a tactics training exercise off the coast of Monterey, killing Lieutenant’s Nick “Freak” Benson, Joel “Korky” Korkowski, Steve “Nacho” Nevarez and Matt “Shooby” Shubzda.
The names of the deceased pilots and their call signs were painted on VFA-41’s aircraft 103 and 105, and were flown on the 10th anniversary of the mishap. The air crews that participated in the memorial flight carried with them four American flags that were then flown into Afghanistan on the first missions the Black Aces flew in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
The flags and certificates during the anniversary memorial event will be sent to the families of those killed in the mishap.
“They [VFA-41] honor their memory by being on the pointy end, making their second deployment in two years in support of forces on the ground in Afghanistan,” said Cmdr. Jim Bell, executive officer of NASL. “I couldn’t think of a better way to remember our brothers than the Black Aces carrying on the tradition of Navy lethal strike power.”
“It’s times like these that remind us why we joined this business,” said Bell. “It’s because of the people like Nacho, Korky, Freak and Shooby that the Navy is what it is today.”
Cmdr. Eric Tidwell, executive officer of the Black Aces aboard John C. Stennis, and Cmdr. Colin Day, executive officer of the Warhawks of VFA-97, were both assigned to the Black Aces early in their careers and knew the pilots killed that day. Tidwell and Benson had been roommates aboard the USS Enterprise (CVN 65) during the opening phase of Operation Enduring Freedom in early 2002, and Day went through flight school with Korkowski and was assigned to VFA-41 when tragedy struck.
According to Tidwell, in the aftermath of the mishap, the Navy made several changes in naval aviation, from briefing room protocols to pre-flight and launch procedures; changes that were made to ensure the utmost safety of the flight crews.
“The accident changed the way many people in our community approach the safety measures we have in place for air-to-air training,” said Day. “It became a much more focused and deliberate process.”
The mishap shook the community and left three children without fathers. Nevarez is survived by his wife son, and daughter and Korkowski is survived by his wife and daughter, who was born shortly after the mishap.
“At the time of the mishap, Korkowski’s wife was pregnant,” said Day of his colleague and friend. “I hope now, 10 years later, his daughter can feel great pride in what her father did.”
Not only did the missing man formation serve as a tribute to the pilots, but it raised awareness of the children left behind. A 529 College Savings Plan was set up for each child with the Air Warrior Courage Foundation, which made a starting donation of $1,000 for each child’s account.
The aviation community hopes to bring awareness on the anniversary of the mishap and invite others to support the children of the fallen pilots.
For more information or to make donations to the children’s 529 accounts please visit the foundation website at http://www.airwarriorcourage.org/donations.html.

Joel has a memory marker in Arlington National Cemetery and another in Illinois.

His daughter's name is Skylar.