Forum: F-16 News

Air Force F-16 crashes in Iraq

6/15/2007 - BALAD AIR BASE, Iraq (AFPN) -- An Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon deployed to the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing crashed in Iraq at 12:27 a.m. June 15. There was one crewmember on board.

The aircraft was flying on a close-air-support mission in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The cause of the accident is under investigation.

Source: http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123057387

F-16 Fighter Plane from Toledo Crashes in Iraq; Airman Killed

June 15, 2007 08:50 PM

BALAD AIR BASE, IRAQ -- An F-16 fighter jet from the Ohio Air National Guard has crashed in Iraq. The U.S. Central Air Command says the fighter jet crashed on a close air support mission. Colonel Carole Allen, commander of the 180th Fighter Wing, confirmed for News 11 on Friday afternoon that the plane came from the 180th.

The Air Force says the crash happened at 12:27am local time. There was one crewmember on the plane.

The office of Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur confirmed the crash, saying the pilot's name was not yet known. The incident is still under investigation.

Pilots for the 180th left for their mission in Iraq during the last week of May. While in Iraq, they were expected to fly surveillance and support missions to help ground troops. They are scheduled to return to Toledo later this summer.

The 180th had its official send-off ceremony about a month before leaving for Iraq. Hundreds of family members and friends packed a building at the fighter wing's base at Toledo Express Airport for the send-off. Representatives Marcy Kaptur and Paul Gillmor, along with State Senator Teresa Fedor spoke to the crowd, delivering messages of pride and support.

Count on News 11 to follow them as the story develops.

Source: http://www.wtol.com/global/story.asp?s=6664881

Thats really sad, but at least the pilot died doing what he or she loved!

F-16 Fighter Plane from Toledo Crashes in Iraq; Pilot Killed

June 15, 2007 06:09 PM
F-16's from the 180th shipped out in May.

BALAD AIR BASE, IRAQ -- A fighter jet from the Ohio Air National Guard has apparently crashed in Iraq. The U.S. Central Air Command says an F-16 "Fighting Falcon" crashed on a close air support mission just after midnight Friday morning. Colonel Carole Allen, Executive Officer of the 180th Fighter Wing, confirmed for News 11 on Friday afternoon that the plane came from the 180th.

Col. Allen also confirmed the pilot, also from the 180th, was killed. The name of that pilot has not been released.

The Air Force says the crash happened at 12:27am local time. There was one crewmember on the plane. A statement says the crash was an accident -- but there's no word yet on where the plane went down.

The jet was deployed to the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing at Balad Air Base, 50 miles north of Baghdad. It's the first time the Air Force has lost an F-16 in more than six months. A pilot was killed when an F-16 crashed last November 27th in the western province of Anbar.

The office of Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur confirmed the crash, saying the pilot's name was not yet known. The incident is still under investigation.

The announcement comes as Defense Secretary Robert Gates visited Baghdad. He voiced support for the top US commander in Iraq and denied that the military is painting an overly optimistic picture of how the war is going.

Pilots for the 180th left for their mission in Iraq during the last week of May. While in Iraq, they were expected to fly surveillance and support missions to help ground troops. The 180th Fighter Wing is based at Toledo Express Airport, a joint civilian-military facility about 10 miles from downtown Toledo.

Count on News 11 to follow them as the story develops.

According to the Air Force, the F-16 Fighting Falcon is a compact, multi-role fighter aircraft that has proven itself in air-to-air combat and air-to-surface attack. Since Sept. 11, 2001, the F-16 has been a major component of the combat forces committed to the Global War on Terrorism flying thousands of sorties in support of operations Noble Eagle (Homeland Defense), Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Iraqi Freedom.

The 180th had its official send-off ceremony about a month before leaving for Iraq. Hundreds of family members and friends packed a building at the fighter wing's base at Toledo Express Airport for the send-off.

Representatives Marcy Kaptur and Paul Gillmor, along with State Senator Teresa Fedor spoke to the crowd, delivering messages of pride and support.

When they left, it took pilots about two days to fly to Iraq, with an overnight stop in Europe. They are scheduled to return to Toledo later this summer.


From another station...

http://www.myfoxtoledo.com/myfox/pages/ ... geId=1.1.1

180th Airman Involved in F-16 Crash
USAF officials say crash was an accident
Last Edited: Friday, 15 Jun 2007, 7:48 PM EDT
Created: Friday, 15 Jun 2007, 2:54 PM EDT
FOX Toledo Breaking News

U.S. Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur's office tells FOX Toledo News an F-16 has gone down near Iraq Friday.

The F-16 was believed to have been from an Oklahoma Air National Guard base, however, Kaptur's office says, it's believed that a crew member on board may have been from the Ohio Air National Guard's 180th Fighter Wing out Toledo Express Airport in Swanton Township.

According to the Associated Press, Air Force officials with the US Central Air Command says the crash was an accident and not shot down by insurgents, but didn't say where the aircraft went down or what happened to the pilot.

Mark Wayda, spokesman for the Ohio National Guard in Columbus, says the pilot was a member of the Toledo Air National Guard base. Wayda says he doesn't know what happened to the pilot.

The jet, which crashed shortly before midnight Eastern time, at our about 8 a.m. Baghdad time, was deployed to the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing at Balad Air Base, 50 miles north of Baghdad.

"The cause of the accident is under investigation," said the statement from the Central Command Air Forces, which provided no further details.

Over 300 members of the 180th Fighter Wing were deployed to Iraq in late April. Numerous F-16s from the 112th Fighter Squadron, attached to the 180th Fighter Wing, left the air base in May.

The loss of an F-16, a workhorse warplane in the Iraq war, is rare. One crashed in the western province of Anbar in November, killing the pilot.

Source: http://www.wtol.com/Global/story.asp?S=6664881

[...] Lt. Col. Carole Allan, executive officer for the 180th, said the pilot is from the Toledo Express base but the aircraft is from Tulsa, Ariz. [...]

Family Confirms: 180th Pilot Killed in Iraq was from McClure

June 16, 2007 08:25 AM

McCLURE, OHIO -- The crash of an F-16 "Fighting Falcon" in Iraq has claimed the life of a northwest Ohio pilot. His family has confirmed to News 11 that Major Kevin Sonnenberg, 42, was killed when his jet crashed on Friday near Balad Air Base about 50 miles north of Iraq. Sonnenberg, a graduate of Napoleon High School, lived in the small town of McClure, about 35 miles south and west of Toledo.

The U.S. Central Air Command says the F-16 from the 180th Fighter Wing based in Toledo crashed on a close air support mission just after midnight Friday morning. The statement says the crash was an accident, but didn't give more detail than that. Sonnenberg was the only one on-board when it crashed.

The jet was deployed to the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing at Balad Air Base. Airmen and planes from the 180th Fighter Wing arrived in Iraq less than a month ago. While in Iraq, they were expected to fly surveillance and support missions to help ground troops. They are scheduled to return later this summer.

The 180th Fighter Wing is based at Toledo Express Airport, a joint civilian-military facility about 10 miles from downtown Toledo.

In the small Henry County town of McClure, where Sonnenberg lived, the sign on Roberts-McMillen Post 332 of the American Legion says it all, "Rest in Peace Kevin." For the people who live in that town, the news of Sonnenberg's death hit hard. "The whole town's in shock. Everyone's walking around looking at each other, and you can tell who knows," said Jackie Burt, a close friend of the Sonnenbergs.

With Kevin Sonnenberg's death, Burt says the town has lost some one very special. "Kevin was a good guy. Very well-respected," said Burt. "He's the kind of guy that whenever you saw him, you could say 'Hi' to him, and he would stop and he would take the time to talk to you."

When asked whether she considered him a hero, Burt answered, "Absolutely. He's a small-town hero."

Flags fly along both sides of Route 65 going through McClure. There are signs reminding people to support the troops. Many say Kevin would want it that way. "[Kevin] presented a flag that was flown over Iraq to a group that asked for that, and he did that," said Burt. "He was always very proud to do that."

The head of American Legion Post 332 in McClure says Kevin was a member there. People there say he died doing what he loved.

The Air Force says the cause of the crash is still under investigation. Count on News 11 to follow this story as it develops.

Source: http://www.wtol.com/Global/story.asp?S=6667639