US Military jet crashes in West Virginia

[golamv]

Just seen this on Sky News:

Military Jet Crashes In Western Virginia (http://news.sky.com/story/1325682/military-jet-crashes-in-western-virginia)

[Typhoon93]

I've just seen it announced on the USAF Facebook page.

I hope the pilot managed to eject and land safely.

[sandiego89]

Actually golamv, the location is in Virginia, not West Virginia. 2 different states.

F-15 Fighter Jet Crashes Near Deerfield, Virginia - NBC News (http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/f-15-fighter-jet-crashes-near-deerfield-virginia-n190121)

Says it was on a ferry flight from Otis AFB to Louisiana for upgrades, and would seem logical that it would be in more benign high level transit at the time. Wonder if we have another case of an F-15 falling out of the sky.

No news on pilot yet, not good.

[golamv]

Thanks sandiego89, I should have read the article properly as it clearly states Western Virginia not West Virginia.

Still no news of the pilot.

[golamv]

An update can be found here:

Air Force F-15C jet crashes in western Virginia - NY Daily News (http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/military-jet-crashes-western-virginia-article-1.1918600)

Here is a quote from the article:
"Jean Sepulveda, representative for the sheriff’s office, said an alert through the pilot’s equipment shows that he ejected himself from the aircraft before it crashed. His condition is unknown.

“They have not been able to clear enough brush so that a vehicle can reach the crash,” Sepulveda told the Daily News about 1:40 p.m. “He has not been located as of yet.”

[GreenKnight121]

Authorities searching the George Washington and Jefferson National Forest near Deerfield, Va., were questioning a witness who reported seeing an ejection from the jet and a parachute, according to emergency scanner traffic. The witness' account could not be immediately confirmed.

F-15 reports emergency, crashes in Virginia forest (http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/08/27/military-plane-crashes-forest/14676719/)

[Hempy]

Pilot found dead :(

http://fox13now.com/2014/08/28/pilot-found-dead-after-f-15-crash-in-virginia/

[GreenKnight121]

Contradicts earlier statements about ejection:

Pilot found dead after F-15 crash in Virginia - CNN.com (http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/28/us/virginia-f15-military-jet-crash/)
Pilot found dead after F-15 crash in Virginia

Posted 9:23 pm, August 28, 2014, by CNN Wire (http://fox13now.com/author/cnn-wire/)
By Steve Almasy CNN


updated 11:03 PM EDT, Thu August 28, 2014


(CNN) -- The pilot of an Air National Guard F-15C fighter jet that crashed in Virginia was found dead, the commander of the unit said Thursday.


Air Force Col. James Keefe, 104th Fighter Wing commander, told reporters that searchers didn't get into the remote crash site until Thursday afternoon. There were still fires and other hazards from Wednesday's crash.


"This is a devastating day for the family of our deceased pilot and the members of the 104th Fighter Wing," Keefe told reporters.


Keefe said he expects officials will release the name of the pilot on Friday. He said he met with the immediate family before Thursday night's news conference and they requested time to contact other relatives.


Keefe said the investigation will take several weeks, but the pilot was unable to eject from the plane.


The colonel praised his unit as a group with an exemplary safety record.
The single-seat aircraft went down Wednesday morning in a remote, wooded area near the Virginia-West Virginia border. It was flying to New Orleans for a radar system upgrade and there were no missiles on board.
Prior to losing contact and the crash, the pilot reported an in-flight emergency, Keefe said.


There were no reports of injuries on the ground, said Corinne Geller, spokeswoman for Virginia State Police.


The 104th Fighter Wing is based in Westfield, Massachusetts.


CNN’s Jamie Crawford and Marlena Baldacci contributed to this story.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2014 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved.

[DGM320]

Apparently he was at 30/40k when the emergency began.

The plane was flying at about 30,000 to 40,000 feet when the pilot reported the emergency, he said.

Pilot in F-15 crash was decorated combat veteran (http://news.yahoo.com/search-efforts-resume-missing-pilot-103951349.html)

[Typhoon93]

RIP.

A sad loss.

[Fonsini]

I hope all the details become available - some of those birds are getting awfully long in the tooth.

RIP sir.

[Hempy]

I hope all the details become available - some of those birds are getting awfully long in the tooth.

RIP sir.

Indeed. It seems very odd that he's had to ride it in from 40,000"

[Madbob]

Hempy

Could have been a medical emergency/pilot incapacitation/OBOGS failure or a last resort seat malfunction/failure. In any event a tragic loss.

RIP and condolences to NOK and all who knew him.

MB


PS Does the F15C have any kind of data recorder useful for post accident analysis?