GRINDSTONE – Doug Borland spends most of his time glued to a television set, anxiously awaiting word about his 21-year old son.

Cryptologic Technician Seaman Bradford Borland was one of 24 crew members on board the U.S. Navy spy plane forced to make an emergency landing Sunday on the island of Hainan after a Chinese jet fighter collided with it.

China has blamed the collision on the American pilot, saying the U.S. plane veered into one of its F-8 fighters, but State Department officials view it as a midair accident.

Earlier, the Pentagon said crew members sent a message that they had begun destroying the plane’s intelligence-gathering equipment and information before landing. Top American officials reported that the crew members, who are being held at a military base at Lingshui, are in good health.

“I’m just glad he is alive,” Borland said of his son during an interview Wednesday. “I’m glad to hear he is being treated well. That is a relief.”

The father received information about his son Tuesday from Navy officials. Asked if he thought his son was being held hostage by the Chinese, Borland replied, “If you aren’t free to leave, what are you?”

Borland, who is divorced, is very close to Brad, his only child. The father and son moved from Connecticut to Grindstone about 10 years ago. Brad Borland attended the Medway Middle School, then Middletown High School in Connecticut. After graduation in June 1997, he returned to Grindstone. He enlisted and went into the U.S. Navy that October.

“He is just a typical smart kid,” said Borland. “I’m really proud of him.”

The 51-year old father recalled how his son liked to go fishing with him. He is athletic and enjoys running, but he really loves computers, to which he has been exposed since he was a youngster. Borland said his son was tight-lipped about what he does in the Navy. Cryptography is the writing and deciphering of messages in secret code.

The father said he understood that about 15 to 20 minutes elapsed from the time of the collision until the U.S. plane landed in China.

“Hopefully, they had the opportunity to destroy [surveillance equipment] on the way down,” Borland said.

This winter Borland had a heart attack, and his son came home to spend more than a week with him. That was the last time the father saw him. The two men exchange frequent e-mail. Brad Borland’s last e-mail came about two weeks ago. Borland admits that he would like to hear from his son more often, but he recognizes the young seaman is kept busy most of the time.

Borland said he wasn’t shocked by the incident.

“The last time my son was here, he told me that Chinese fighters fly right up to their wingtips to a point where you can make eye contact with them,” said the Marine veteran, who also is a former aircraft mechanic.

“This was an accident waiting to happen,” he said. “It’s too bad they [the Chinese] lost their pilot and the plane, but it’s not our fault.”

Borland said it was pretty much impossible for a big, slow-moving plane like the EP-3 to hit a jet fighter, which is made for speed and maneuverability.

“It would be like me trying to run a logging truck off the road with my Harley,” Borland said, referring to his motorcycle. He suspects the Chinese fighter plane may have had problems maneuvering and it crashed into the Navy plane.

Earlier this week, U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, who is a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, was briefed by officials from the Department of Defense, the Navy and the State Department.

“This aircraft was conducting a routine surveillance operation in international airspace when its left wing and engine were damaged in a collision with a Chinese jet fighter,” Collins said in a prepared statement.

The senator said the incident appears to have been caused by the Chinese jet fighter flying too close to the EP-3. She said the Chinese government had an obligation to return both the military crew and the aircraft without further delay.

The EP-3 Aries II plane is one of only a dozen such planes in use. It uses a complex combination of receivers, antennae, computers, displays and recording devices to intercept radar and other communication signals up to 460 miles away.

Having served in the Marines for four years, Borland says he is familiar with military life. He is concerned about the situation, but predicted it will be a matter of a week or two before the crew is released.

“I know they are well trained, and they will come through this A-OK,” he said. “I’m not in a frenzy. I have all of the confidence in my son and in the military.”

The father added, however, “I’ll think twice before I buy anything made in China.”

Borland is keeping in close contact with Navy officials. “They are doing all they can,” he said.

Right now, Borland is keeping his telephone handy. He learned late Wednesday that the crew members may have a chance to send home messages.