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Air Force Pilot Dead After Likely Mid-Air Collision
This has really flown under the radar of our news makers....our warriors train as they fight...... GodspeedEGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. One of the F-15C fighter pilots involved in what the Air Force said was likely a mid-air collision Wednesday during a training mission has died. The other is in good condition at Eglin Hospital. "The 33rd fighter Wing Nomads and Team Eglin have suffered a great loss today and my heart goes out to the family and friends of our fallen airman," said Col. Todd Harmer, the commander of the air wing that included the two downed jets, in a statement. "We will continue to do anything we can to assist our families and airmen at this tragic time." The pilots ejected over the Gulf of Mexico and were later rescued, the Air Force said. Eglin Air Force Base spokeswoman Shirley Pigott said the pilots were rescued after their single-seat F-15C Eagles crashed off the Florida Panhandle, about 35 miles south of Tyndall Air Force Base. Harmer said the planes crashed during a training exercise "emphasizing basic maneuvers and tactics." Weather in the area was clear. "Two F-15 Cs assigned to the 33rd Fighter Wing, 58th Fighter Squadron, at Eglin Air Force Base crashed in what appears to be a mid-air collision over the Gulf of Mexico," Harmer said Wednesday night. He said both pilots had been with the wing "for quite some time," but didn't give more details. The cause of the collision was not immediately determined, but the Air Force will be investigating, he said. Coast Guard Petty Officer James Harless said a Coast Guard rescue jet located one pilot and radioed the location to a fishing vessel, which picked him up. A Coast Guard helicopter then hoisted the pilot off the vessel.That pilot told rescuers he saw the other pilot also eject, but lost him in the clouds, Harless said. He told them the approximate location for the second pilot, who was found by a Coast Guard helicopter, Harless said. The pilots were taken to Eglin Air Force Base hospital. Harless said that no debris from the jets has been found yet. Posted by: Sherry 2008-02-21 |
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