Posted on 06/26/2006 3:02:42 PM PDT by Smogger
KING CITY, Calif. - Two FA-18 Navy fighter jets collided Monday over a Central Coast military base, but it was unclear if there were casualties, a military spokesman said.
The jets from Lemoore Naval Air Station were flying a training mission when they crashed at Fort Hunter Liggett, an Army Reserve base 150 miles south of San Francisco, said Navy spokesman Dennis McGrath.
The Naval Air Station supplies all the fighter jets to Navy ships off the West Coast and serves as a training site for FA-18s. Dozens of fighters rotate to and from aircraft carriers per month.
The FA-18C "Hornet" is a McDonnell-Douglas single-seat fighter jet that can reach a maximum speed of 1,190 mph. It has been used by the U.S. military since 1962.
How in the world could THAT happen?
Hope they're not fatalities.
Two parachutes were seen, indicating the pilots ejected, said Don Sundius, a Fort Hunter Liggett spokesman. One pilot was seriously injured, but there was no immediate information on the second pilot.
"They've found one person, but the other is still not accounted for," said Greg Clark, the Monterey County coroner.
The Army was searching in the fields as fire engines worked to extinguish several small fires that broke out as a result of the crashes.
My Prayers are incoming for those pilots.
Ft Hungry Lizard (FHL) is a tinderbox. We fired at the qual range last week, with a grass fire burning from 8am until after dark.
The opening scene of the book "Clear and Present Danger" spells out the nature of FHL better than any words can.
Planes run into each other all the time, unfortunately. I hope the pilots are ok. There are some extremely hazardous areas; cliffs, trees, towers, extrememly rugged terrain, etc of FHL to drop in by unexpected parachute.
When I was a girl we use to pass through HL on the way to our campground. Yearly we would see hillsides scorched from people flicking their cigarettes. I haven't been near there in over 20 years.
Uh, the Hornet first went into service in 1983. Who knows what plane the stupid author is referring to here.
"It has been used by the U.S. military since 1962."
Caught that too... The author needs to put down the crack pipe.
Ouch. TWO fighter jets down- very expensive mistake.
Hope the pilots are okay.
Especially when doing Air-to-Dust missions. The sky is a big place, but when they get to turning close to the ground around a target area, it's gets quite a bit smaller.
ping.
Must have been that "Skunkworks" Hornet tested back in the day.
</art bell guest>
Wow, it's a lot older than I was lead to believe!
Why didn't we use them in Vietnam???(snort)
update.
Fighter Jets Collide; 1 Pilot Dies, 1 Hurt
U.S. Video
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KING CITY, Calif. (AP) -- Two Navy fighter jets collided Monday over a military base, killing one pilot and seriously injuring another, authorities said.
The F/A-18 jets from Lemoore Naval Air Station were practicing dogfighting maneuvers when they crashed at Fort Hunter Liggett, a remote Army Reserve base 150 miles south of San Francisco, said Navy spokesman Dennis McGrath.
The victims were members of Strike Fighter Squadron 125, also known as the "Rough Riders."
Details were not immediately known, but a Fort Hunter Liggett spokesman said two parachutes were seen, indicating the pilots ejected.
The crash sparked several small fires.
Lemoore supplies all the fighter jets to Navy ships off the West Coast and serves as a training site for F/A-18s. Dozens of fighters rotate to and from aircraft carriers per month.
The Lemoore base is about 100 miles inland from where the crash took place.
The F/A-18C "Hornet" is a McDonnell-Douglas single-seat fighter jet that can reach a speed of 1,190 mph.
Yeah, right. This idiot reporter is talking about the F-8, not F-18. The F-8 was put into Navy service in 1962. The guy probably did a Google search, and typoed F-8 instead of F-18.
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