F-16 Fighting Falcon News

December 9, 2020 (by Asif Shamim) - A Wisconsin Air National Guard F-16 crashed in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula Tuesday night, unfortunately the pilot did not survive.
An F-16 Fighting Falcon assigned to the 115th Fighter Wing crashed around 20:00hrs during a training mission. The pilot, Capt. Durwood “Hawk” Jones, 37, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, did not survive.

According to a post on the wing’s Facebook page Jones joined the Air National Guard in 2011 and graduated from F-16 basic qualification training in 2015. He is a decorated combat veteran, deploying as a part of a United States Pacific Command Theater Support Package to Japan in 2015 and to Korea in 2017. He deployed again in support of Operation Freedom’s Sentinel to Afghanistan in 2019.

Jones was awarded two Air Medals with combat “C” devices, which are awarded to individuals who have been personally exposed to hostile action or under significant risk of hostile action.

The 115th Fighter Wing commander Col. Bart Van Roo announced he has grounded flights indefinitely following the crash.