DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — An American pilot whose F-16 fighter jet went down in Iraq was listed as killed in action following DNA analysis of remains recovered at the crash site, the U.S. Air Force said Sunday.
Maj. Troy L. Gilbert, 34, was supporting troops fighting in Anbar province, where many of the country's Sunni-Arab insurgent groups operate. Videotape footage obtained by Associated Press Television News after the crash appeared to show the wreckage of the F-16CG in a field and a tangled parachute nearby.
Remains recovered at the crash site 20 miles north of Baghdad were identified as Gilbert's, the Air Force said.
U.S. forces investigating the crash have said insurgents reached the site before American forces could. The cause of the crash is under investigation, but officials said they did not believe Gilbert was shot down.
In this undated photo provided by the Air Force, Maj. Troy L. Gilbert is shown. Gilbert an American pilot whose F-16 crashed in Iraq earlier this week was described by military members and his family as a husband and father of five who always did what it took to get the mission done. At the time of the crash, 34-year-old Gilbert, was supporting troops fighting in Anbar province, the area of Iraq where many of the country's Sunni-Arab insurgent groups operate. (AP Photo/U.S. Air Force)