ross_M
8th Jun 2011, 13:53
Fighter Jet crashes in Wisconsin on training run (http://www.channel3000.com/news/28159758/detail.html)
MADISON, Wis. -- A fighter jet crashed in southern Wisconsin on Tuesday afternoon.
Wisconsin Air National Guard officials said in a statement that an F-16 went down at about 1:20 p.m. near the town of Chester in Adams County during a routine training flight.
Guard spokeswoman Lt. Col. Jackie Guthrie said the jet hit an unoccupied, seasonal residence.
The Wisconsin National Guard said the pilot, who was the only person in the jet, ejected safely.
The he ejected, the pilot also jettisoned the aircraft's fuel tanks, and they are being recovered.
The pilot was recovered south of the town of Chester. Guthrie said the pilot is coherent and talking but will have additional medical evaluation.
"He did what he needed what he needed to do to protect his life and the safety of the people around him, and thankfully he landed in an area that did not damage or take any other property or life," Guthrie said.
The pilot is from the Madison-based 115th Fighter Wing of the Wisconsin Air National Guard.
The aircraft was not carrying any weapons, just facsimiles to give it the proper weight.
A handful of residents who were evacuated while Hazmat crews cleaned up the crash site have been allowed back to their homes Tuesday evening, WISC-TV reported.
Guthrie said the jet was involved in training in the Volk Field area and was expected to return to Madison. She said that Volk Field is a national training center for squadrons from across the country. The 115th Fighter Wing doesn't fly out of there everyday, but it does have training there, Guthrie said.
Those who witnessed the crash said Tuesday's training had been going on for a while before the plane went down.
"(It was) a good 45 minutes or so, I would say, today, and then I came out here and that's when I saw the parachute and immediately knew something was wrong," said Wyatt Schwersenska, of witnessed the crash.
"We saw it circling and circling, and it went behind the trees and, all of a sudden, there was a boom and then a louder boom," said witness Deeann Harvestine.
The guard said that if people discover any kind of wreckage from the jet in the area, they should contact their local authorities.
Guthrie said she is unaware of a second plane involved in Tuesday's training, and she said that no other flights had to land as a result of the incident.
The guard has requested U.S. Air Force investigators probe the cause of the crash.
MADISON, Wis. -- A fighter jet crashed in southern Wisconsin on Tuesday afternoon.
Wisconsin Air National Guard officials said in a statement that an F-16 went down at about 1:20 p.m. near the town of Chester in Adams County during a routine training flight.
Guard spokeswoman Lt. Col. Jackie Guthrie said the jet hit an unoccupied, seasonal residence.
The Wisconsin National Guard said the pilot, who was the only person in the jet, ejected safely.
The he ejected, the pilot also jettisoned the aircraft's fuel tanks, and they are being recovered.
The pilot was recovered south of the town of Chester. Guthrie said the pilot is coherent and talking but will have additional medical evaluation.
"He did what he needed what he needed to do to protect his life and the safety of the people around him, and thankfully he landed in an area that did not damage or take any other property or life," Guthrie said.
The pilot is from the Madison-based 115th Fighter Wing of the Wisconsin Air National Guard.
The aircraft was not carrying any weapons, just facsimiles to give it the proper weight.
A handful of residents who were evacuated while Hazmat crews cleaned up the crash site have been allowed back to their homes Tuesday evening, WISC-TV reported.
Guthrie said the jet was involved in training in the Volk Field area and was expected to return to Madison. She said that Volk Field is a national training center for squadrons from across the country. The 115th Fighter Wing doesn't fly out of there everyday, but it does have training there, Guthrie said.
Those who witnessed the crash said Tuesday's training had been going on for a while before the plane went down.
"(It was) a good 45 minutes or so, I would say, today, and then I came out here and that's when I saw the parachute and immediately knew something was wrong," said Wyatt Schwersenska, of witnessed the crash.
"We saw it circling and circling, and it went behind the trees and, all of a sudden, there was a boom and then a louder boom," said witness Deeann Harvestine.
The guard said that if people discover any kind of wreckage from the jet in the area, they should contact their local authorities.
Guthrie said she is unaware of a second plane involved in Tuesday's training, and she said that no other flights had to land as a result of the incident.
The guard has requested U.S. Air Force investigators probe the cause of the crash.