Posted on 05/30/2007 1:47:07 PM PDT by archy
F-15 Jet Crashes Near Indiana City
By RYAN LENZ
Associated Press Writer
Published May 30, 2007, 1:58 PM CDT
VINCENNES, Ind. -- An F-15 fighter jet on a training mission crashed Wednesday in a farm field just outside this southwestern Indiana city, authorities said. The pilot parachuted to safety, the military said, and no injuries were reported on the ground.
The pilot apparently was able to walk to a police officer and was taken to Vincennes Hospital to be checked, said Capt. Jim Jensen with the Indiana Air National Guard in Terre Haute.
Missouri Air National Guard Capt. Tamara Spicer said the pilot was in good condition. She declined to release his name, citing Guard policy.
Dale McCrary, who lives about a mile away, said he and his son saw the plane spiral to the ground. They drove to the crash site, where they saw the plane's tail sticking up from the ground and the pilot on his back near the plane's windshield.
"He was kind of white-ish looking," McCrary said. "Just all shook up."
The jet was from the Missouri Air National Guard's 131st Fighter Wing, headquartered at Lambert Airport in St. Louis. It was conducting standard training maneuvers as part of a four-aircraft formation when it went down around 10 a.m. No other aircraft was involved, Spicer said.
Dark gray smoke was visible three hours after the crash in a field between two farm houses and near large power lines.
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."
Spicer said the cause of the crash is under investigation.
"We're not going to have any overnight answers," she said.
Three years ago, two F-16 fighter jets from the 181st Fighter Wing collided during routine training near the Indiana-Illinois state line. One of the pilots was killed, and the second parachuted to safety. In July 2001, an F-16 from the same fighter wing crashed near Parkersburg, Ill., about 70 miles southwest of Terre Haute; the pilot ejected safely.
Vincennes, 120 miles southwest of Indianapolis, has about 19,000 residents.
Copyright © 2007, The Associated Pres
Earlier UK Guardian Unlimited story here: FAA: F-15 Jet Crashes in Indiana
Thanks for the catch. I searched for the story using the AP title, which local editors frequently substitute with something locally supplied, and the story you spotted had neither F15 nor Vincennes added to the list of *keyword search* terms with it- which I added.
That would be Good Samaritan Medical Center, Vincennes, IN.
Oh man — I’m glad the pilot is safe.
Most of the Air force is ancient thanks to the “peace dividend” Theres a good article in Newsmax about that. F-15s will be expected to last 50 years to supplant the F-22.
Be careful, guys. These things are expensive.
Any relation to General Henry Spicer of WW2 POW fame?
There's not many cities in Indiana?......Indy, Gary, Fort Wayne, Evansville.
From the Washington Times:
VINCENNES — An F-15 fighter jet on a training mission crashed yesterday in a farm field just outside this southwestern Indiana city, authorities said. The pilot parachuted to safety, the military said, and no injuries were reported on the ground.
The pilot apparently was able to walk to a police officer and was taken to a Vincennes hospital to be checked, said Capt. Jim Jensen with the Indiana Air National Guard in Terre Haute.
Missouri Air National Guard Capt. Tamara Spicer said the pilot was in good condition. She declined to release his name, citing Guard policy.
That is one fortunate pilot.
Bump. Any links on the Newsmax article?
I wonder how old this model was? The Air Force isn't buying new F-15s....and hasn't for a while now. And W put a cap on the total number of F-22s...ordering the production to cease after the end of FY '07 which means we'll have only 185 or so.
Sorry its only in the hard copy of newsmax but the F-16 has a composite monococque that cannot be rebuilt, so there is only so much you can do to rebuild them. The tankers are old, the F-15 is 30 years old, and the A-10s need new wings and main spars. We better keep buying F-35 and F-22 or risk being overwhelmed by China or Russia. I keep getting the feeling we are growing weaker with so much funding diverted to Iraq.
Air force scraps advanced stealth cruise missile and MX
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2007/3/8/82055.shtml
Missed this. I’m sure glad the guy is OK!
Funny, I was thinking the same thing!!
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