February 13, 2000 (by Lieven Dewitte) - A turkey vulture was blamed for a crash that killed the pilot of an Air Force F-16 jet last July. The fighter plane, which was on a training mission from Homestead Air Reserve Base, went down shortly after the bird hit the canopy. A turkey vulture typically weighs five to seven pounds.

Reserve Maj. Samuel D'Angelo, an American Airlines pilot and a 19-year military veteran, was killed in the crash about 150 miles north of Miami.

Related articles:

• F-16 pilot dies in Florida crash (1999-06-30)
• Other F-16 Mishap News
• News archive for February 2000