Posted on 06/26/2015 3:06:49 PM PDT by Brown Deer
An Iraqi pilot who has been training in the United States for four years was flying an F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft that crashed in southern Arizona, a spokesman for the Iraqi defense minister said Thursday.
"We have no word yet on his fate or the reason behind the crash," Brig. Gen. Tahseen Ibrahim told The Associated Press. "We are in contact with the Americans to get more details."
Ibrahim confirmed the pilot is Brig. Gen. Rafid Mohammed Hassan.
The fighter crashed about 8 p.m. Wednesday in grassland some five miles away from the Douglas airport during a night training mission, Arizona Air National Guard spokeswoman 2nd Lt. Lacey Roberts said in a news release late Wednesday.
The pilot was enrolled in the international training program in Tucson run by the Arizona Air National Guard’s 162nd Wing, which includes about 40 students from Iraq, Singapore, Poland, Norway, Denmark, Oman, Belgium, and the Netherlands, Roberts said Thursday morning.
The plane flown by the Iraqi pilot belonged to the Iraqi Air Force, Roberts said. Iraq bought F-16s from Lockheed Martin, but “due to the security situation” in Iraq, some of the aircraft were delivered to Arizona.
The Iraqi government ordered 18 F-16s in 2011 for $3 billion and 18 more in 2012, Reuters reported.
The Guard began training Iraqi pilots in 2012 at the request of the Iraqi government and the first Iraqi F-16 arrived in December 2014, Roberts said. Since then, the Guard has received one Iraqi F-16 each month.
Initial reports incorrectly said two F-16 fighters were involved in the crash. Roberts clarified that two aircraft were involved in the training mission, but only one aircraft crashed. The Iraqi pilot was the only person aboard the crashed F-16.
Roberts did not have any information about the fate of the pilot as of Thursday morning. Rescue crews are at the scene of the crash, she said, adding the pilot will be identified by the Iraqi government.
The crash caused a fire, delaying law enforcement from immediately investigating the crash site.
An initial report to 911 came from a woman who said "there was an airplane on fire in her front yard,” said Carol Capas, a spokeswoman for the Cochise County Sheriff’s Department.
She said the wreck burned an area of grassland some 400 yards wide and nearly a quarter-mile long. The fire continued to smolder Thursday morning, but it had been declared contained since Wednesday night.
Initial reports indicated that the F-16 might have ruptured a nearby gas line, but Capas said today it did not.
An investigation at the crash scene could last through the weekend, officials said.
He can be replaced by an ISIL commander who wants to learn to fly.
Training for 4 years and crashed last week.
Gravity never sleeps.
interesting ... last word was pilot ‘not found’
F-16 kills Mohammad.
-PJ
“training in the United States for four years”
Hmmm....
Was there a Confederate flag in the vicinity?
400 yds wide by about a quarter mile (about 400 yds) long.
Interesting way of describing the area that was burned...
Simple answer: He ran out of altitude, airspeed and ideas all at the same time.
From Andrea Shea King:
“This came to from a Lockheed employee who has had 3 assignments to Saudi Arabia. Worth the read!
During the pilot transition program with the KV-107 and C-130 with Lockheed, we found that most Saudi pilot trainees had very limited night vision, even on the brightest of moonlit nights. Their training retention rate was minimal including maintenance personnel.
Some had dim memories and had to be constantly reminded of things that were told to them the day before. An American, British or any other western instructor is burned out pretty quick. It actually took Muslim C-130 pilots years before they could fly in the dark safely and then would be reluctant to leave the lights of a city. Ask any Marine, Air Force or Army guy who’s been trying to train Iraqis, and especially Afghans.”
https://www.facebook.com/andrea.sheaking/posts/10152760202472280:0
LET US PETITION OBAMA!!
WE MUST GO TO THE SUPREME COURT AND HAVE GRAVITY OUTLAWED!!!
Why yes. Yes I do.
Yes! Finally sanity!!
That is fascinating.
Wonder how much hydrazine the lady who called 911 inhaled?
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