Naval Air Station Chase Field, located in Beeville, Texas in the south Texas coastal plain approximately 80 miles northwest of Corpus Christi, served as one of the US Navy’s primary intermediate jet training bases — the home of Training Wing Three (TW-3) — providing intermediate jet and advanced strike training to student naval aviators in T-2C Buckeye and later TA-4J Skyhawk aircraft before assignment to fleet fleet replacement squadrons. Chase Field was established during WWII as a basic flight training base and served as a jet training hub through the station’s closure in 1993. The station’s WWII-era building stock and its jet training environment created asbestos exposure pathways for Navy personnel assigned there.

WWII-Era Building Infrastructure

NAS Chase Field was established during WWII and its primary building complex reflects wartime construction:

  • WWII-era barracks and training buildings — the primary student naval aviator barracks and ground school training buildings at NAS Chase Field built in the 1942-1944 period used asbestos-containing construction materials throughout — asbestos floor tile, ceiling tile, and asbestos in building mechanical system insulation in the WWII-era construction
  • WWII-era training hangars — the aircraft maintenance hangars at Chase Field built during the WWII training expansion used structural steel with asbestos-containing construction materials including spray-on fireproofing on hangar framing and asbestos insulation in the hangar mechanical systems
  • Base steam heating distribution — the base steam heating plant distribution serving older Chase Field buildings used asbestos-insulated pipe in the steam heating distribution system

Jet Training Aircraft Maintenance

Aviation maintenance ratings and support personnel at Chase Field maintained T-2 Buckeye and TA-4J Skyhawk training aircraft:

  • T-2 Buckeye and TA-4J maintenance — the T-2C Buckeye and TA-4J Skyhawk training aircraft operated at Chase Field were designed in the 1950s-1960s and used asbestos-containing insulation in engine fire zones and cockpit firewall construction. Aviation maintenance ratings performing engine maintenance on these aircraft in the WWII-era hangars combined aircraft fire zone asbestos with hangar building structural asbestos exposure
  • Student aviator hangar occupancy — student naval aviators completing ground school and flight briefings at NAS Chase Field occupied the WWII-era hangar and training building spaces with asbestos-containing construction throughout the multi-month intermediate training period

VA Claims for NAS Chase Field Veterans

VA evaluates asbestos-related disability claims on a case-by-case basis. Veterans generally need evidence of in-service asbestos exposure, a current asbestos-related diagnosis, and a medical link between them. Veterans who served at NAS Chase Field in WWII-era buildings or maintained older jet training aircraft and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may qualify for VA disability benefits.