Posted on 05/19/2004 8:10:23 AM PDT by Military family member
By Peter Ciancone/Tribune-Star
May 19, 2004
Members of Terre Haute's 181st Fighter Wing, Indiana Air National Guard, continued to search for clues Tuesday to help determine what caused a mid-air collision that killed one pilot and slightly injured another.
Capt. John Puckett, spokesman for the 181st, said the unit controls the crash sites, one in Indiana near Oaktown in Knox County, and the other east of Russelville, Ill., pending the arrival of the aviation investigation board that will study the mishap.
That board had been assembled, and is expected on-scene today, Puckett said.
Until it arrives, Joint Forces Headquarters in Indianapolis asks the public to stay out of the crash site area. Any fragments or debris are part of the investigation, the removal of which could hinder the board's work. Anyone who finds debris from the aircraft is asked to leave it in place, and notify local authorities immediately.
During a routine training mission in military airspace above southwestern Indiana, two F-16 fighters collided about 1:30 p.m. Monday. One pilot, Maj. William E. Burchett of Arlington, Tenn., and formerly of Terre Haute, died in the mishap. Witnesses reported that his parachute did not open.
The second pilot, Maj. Thomas R. Sims of Indianapolis, ejected safely from his disabled aircraft. He was treated and released from Good Samaritan Hospital in Vincennes.
Burchett, a 1991 graduate of the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., amassed more than 2,300 hours flight time in the F-16, F-4 and T-38. He joined the 181st in September 2000, and moved to Tennessee last year for his work at FedEx.
"All those fighter pilots -- it's a really close-knit group," Puckett said. "They're grieving right now."
A memorial service is being planned, Puckett said, but details were not yet available.
No flight operations were scheduled Tuesday in the 181st Fighter Wing's 113th Fighter Squadron, nicknamed "The Racers," to which the aircraft and pilots were assigned. Resumption of flight operations will be at the discretion of the wing's commanding officer, Lt. Col. Jeff Hauser.
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