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F-16 Crashes in Iraq
 BAGHDAD (AP) - A U.S. Air Force F-16 fighter jet crashed Friday during a close air support mission for ground forces - a rare loss in Iraq of the workhorse aircraft. An Air Force announcement, which referred to the 12:27 a.m. crash of the F-16 as an accident, did not say where it occurred or what happened to the pilot, the single crew member. It said the military was investigating the cause of the crash.An Ohio National Guard spokesman said the pilot, whom he did not identify, was a member of the 180th Fighter Wing based in Toledo. Spokesman Mark Wayda said about 270 of the unit's 1,000 members were deployed to Iraq last month. The jet was operating under the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing at Balad Air Base, 50 miles north of Baghdad. The loss of an F-16 is an uncommon event in Iraq. One crashed last Nov. 27 in the western province of Anbar, killing the pilot. Posted by: Steve White 2007-06-16 |
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