American F-16 crashes over Florida murdering civilian

Military Jet Collides With Plane

By VICKIE CHACHERE, Associated Press Writer

SARASOTA, Fla. (AP) - An Air Force F-16 collided with a small plane Thursday and crashed in flames. One person aboard the small plane was killed, while the fighter pilot parachuted to safety onto a golf course and walked to someone's house to use the phone.

Pieces of the small plane, a Cessna, landed on the golf course. The wreckage of the fighter jet started a fire in the woods a few miles away.

No injuries were reported on the ground.

One person aboard the Cessna was killed, said Henry Sheffield, a district fire chief. The fighter pilot ejected safely.

Gerald Rivera was working on a construction site nearby. ``We asked the pilot if he was OK and he said, `Yeah,''' Rivera told the Sarasota Herald Tribune.

The Air Force said the jet was from Moody Air Force Base in Valdosta, Ga., but was on a training mission that originated from Florida's MacDill Air Force Base, about 20 miles from the crash site.

Sheriff Charles Wells said two F-16s were on the training mission but only one was involved in the crash.

Don McIlwain, who lives nearby, said he saw the two military jets and then noticed a smaller plane that looked as if it would cross their path. McIlwain said he remembered thinking, ``I hope it's high enough.''

``Just as I said that, he went right through it,'' McIlwain told the Tribune. ``The small plane just disintegrated.''

In August, there were three U.S. crashes involving an F-16.
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20001116/us/military_crash_6.html

I wonder how is it that Cessna guy ended up in plasticbag and F-16 pilot is scratchless?

Many wonderful miracles happen in Florida.

[This message has been edited by Dron (edited 18-11-2000).]

Re: f-16 pilot survival. I believe the f-16 weighs over ten times what the cessna weighs and travels many times faster also. The cessna offers the protection of a paper bag. I am assuming the cessna was a light trainer of around 2000 lb. gross and cruised at about 100 mph.

Luke Officials Ground F-16s

(Source: US Department of Defense; issued July 2, 2003)


LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --- Officials here grounded F-16 Fighting Falcons with certain type of engine July 2 after investigators of a June 10 crash found a fleet-wide engine-related problem.

The aircraft will be grounded until all aircraft with this type of engine have replacement parts installed, according to Col. Philip Breedlove, 56th Fighter Wing commander.

The crash occurred at the Barry M. Goldwater Range approximately 15 miles south of Gila Bend, Ariz. Capt. David O’Malley, an instructor pilot with the 310th Fighter Squadron, safely ejected from the aircraft while on a training mission. He has more than 1,000 flying hours in the F-16.