I happened to be in the Navy at the time of this incident and everyone was required to watch this during a Safety Standdown. The crewmember did indeed survive and was saved by his cranial(a lightweight helmet, goggle, and hearing protector assembly) being sucked off his head and into the engine first. He suffered hearing loss and had to have an eye surgically repaired.

The aircraft involved was an A-6 Intruder and was not an unfamiliar type of aircraft. The crewmember simply forgot where he was for a split second and got too close to the intake. The flight deck of an aircraft carrier is one of the most dangerous places on earth and any little mistake can cost a life.

There is no better quality video, as this is all that is available from the flight deck camera at night. The video we were shown in the Navy is longer, however, and shows the crewman crawling out of the intake although no one around him is aware of this for 10-15 seconds. All in all, amazing stuff!