Please post your replies to Sub-Driver
Sub-Driver, My prayers go up for the pilots! I pray they are ok!
StarCMC, MoJo2001 - thank you for the pings.
Blessings,
trussell
If you want on/off my prayer ping list, please let me know. All requests happily honored.
Monday, May 2, 2005 Posted: 9:52 PM EDT (0152 GMT)
(CNN) -- A search is under way for the pilots of two Marine Corps F/A-18 jets that were lost Monday while flying in support of the war in Iraq, Navy officials said.
Navy officials said they believe the jets collided with each other in bad weather during a routine mission.
The crew of the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson lost contact with the planes about 10:10 p.m. (2:10 p.m. ET), a U.S. military statement said.
"There was no indication of hostile fire in the area at the time contact was lost," the military statement said.
The statement did not say if the planes were over land or sea when they lost contact.
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The Carl Vinson replaced the USS Harry S. Truman in the Persian Gulf on March 20 to support forces in Iraq.
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Late last year, Marine Corps officials said a sharp increase in deadly accidents involving Marine aircraft had forced a close look at possible causes. (Full story)
From October 2003 through September 2004, the Marines sustained 18 major accidents, including the deaths of 15 aviators and the loss of 21 helicopters and fighter planes.
The accidents included the collision of two Hornet fighters over the Atlantic Ocean and another collision of two Hornets over Oregon that killed the two pilots.
In September, a Marine pilot was rescued after ejecting from his F/A-18 jet just before it crashed during a training exercise in the Australian Outback.
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