Few details following F-15 crash

An Air National Guard pilot safely ejected from his F-15D Eagle on Wednesday after the jet experienced undisclosed problems over the Red Hills Military Operating Area in Indiana.

The jet and pilot were assigned to the 131st Fighter Wing at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport. Wing officials didn’t identify the pilot other than to say he had been flying for more than 15 years.

The 29-year-old F-15D was one of four F-15s that were training with a quartet of F-16 Fighting Falcons from the Indiana Air National Guard’s 181st Fighter Wing. None of the other jets were damaged.

The F-15D crashed at about 9:50 a.m. into a field between two farmhouses in the area about 40 miles north of Evansville, Ind.

Witness Willie Mayberry told Evansville television station WFIE that he saw two jets dogfighting before the crash.
“I saw one of them make a loop and start to lose altitude,” he said. “Then all of a sudden, I saw the pilot eject, the seat separated from him and I saw the parachute open. Then all of a sudden, the jet hit the ground. I saw a billow of black smoke and then a big old ball of fire.”

The crash was the first major F-15 accident in fiscal 2007. There have been six significant accidents involving single-engine F-16s this year.

During fiscal 2006 and 2005, there was only one F-15 crash each year. Engine failure was the cause of the 2006 mishap, while a malfunctioning rear horizontal stabalator was cited in the 2005 accident.


Source : AirForceTimesNews - By Bruce Rolfsen - Staff writer
(www.airforcetimes.com)

Posted : Thursday May 31, 2007 12:33:54 EDT

Photo : The wingman of the crashed F-15 was ordered by Nellis Control to circle over the crash site to secure the area. After some initial confusion all other players were ordered to RTB to Nellis. This is what the pile of smoking metal above looked like only minutes ago [www.dreamlandresort.com]


(31.05.2007)