Fighter Jet News

F-16 Fighting Falcon News

Pilot still missing after F-16's collide during training mission in Utah

October 27, 2002 (by Lieven Dewitte) - A search continues for a missing Air Force pilot whose F-16 crashed yesterday in the Utah desert.Another pilot ejected before the collision and landed safely. The Air Force says he was treated for minor injuries and released.
A spokeswoman for the 388th Fighter Wing says four F-16's on a training mission were flying in formation when two of the planes collided. Search teams found the wreckage of both planes about two miles apart. The missing pilot's jet was badly damaged and burning, and debris was scattered over a wide area.

The commander of the fighter wing, Colonel Steve Hoog, says the focus "is still on finding our missing pilot."

The search was suspended at nightfall Friday and resumed this morning.The accident occurred over the Utah Test and Training Range -- a huge, barren stretch of desert west of Salt Lake City that extends to the Nevada border.