Military fighter jet and small plane collide in US
July 7, 2015
US federal officials confirmed the collision on Tuesday, which reportedly happened about 11 miles (17 kilometers) north of the coastal city of Charleston. Officials from Shaw Air Force Base, located roughly 80 miles (130 kilometers) confirmed that one of their jets had crashed.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in a statement that the fighter jet had collided with a Cessna C150 on late Tuesday morning local time. FAA spokesman Jim Peters did not give any details about the condition of passengers and pilots.
The local fire department in Berkeley County meanwhile confirmed that a pilot had ejected from the F-16 fighter jet. Emergency crew radio communications said that the fighter jet pilot had survived the crash, and an air force official later confirmed that the pilot had been found and taken to an undisclosed military base for observation.
Local publications, including the local Charleston newspaper, the Post and Courier, reported two separate crash sites to have been involved in the incident, citing a loud explosion and a fireball in the sky. Some locals took pictures depicting a large severed jet engine between trailer homes in an area known as Moncks Corner.
Bianca Bourbeau, a spokeswoman for the nearby North Charleston Fire Department, meanwhile said that a marine unit had also been deployed to assist with the reported plane crash.
No other details were immediately available.
Earlier this year, a Greek F-16 had crashed during a NATO training session in Spain, killing 10 people.
ss/kms (AP, dpa)