Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
CNN
January 9, 2008 By Jamie McIntyre
The Situation Room (CNN), 5:00 PM
BLITZER: We're just now getting in some exclusive Pentagon animation showing the break-up of an F-15 fighter jet that prompted the U.S. Air Force to ground its entire fleet.
Let's go to our senior Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre.
He's watching this story for us.
What are we learning from this exclusive animation -- Jamie.
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SENIOR PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, as you recall, this was the accident back in November that resulted in the grounding of the entire fleet of older F-15s. And CNN has obtained exclusively the official U.S. Air Force investigation's recreation of what happened that day.
Major Stephen Stillwell, a Missouri Air Guard pilot, was flying his F-15, attempting an 8G turn at 500 miles an hour when there was a major structural failure in something called the longeron. And, as you can see, the plane literally broke in half.
His wing men radioed him, urging him to eject while there was still time.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Eject. Eject. Eject. Knock it off. Knock it off.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: MIG 3, copy. Knock it off.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: MIG 3, knock it off.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 34, safe enough. Climb high.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCINTYRE: Now Major Stillwell -- even though his plane broke apart around him -- was able to get out. He did recover. He did smash his shoulder in the accident and is still recovering from that.
Meanwhile, the Air Force has now inspected all of the planes and announced just today that 60 percent of the older fleet -- about 280 planes -- will be returned to service. They say they are absolutely confident that what happened to this plane won't happen to those. But there's still 40 percent of the fleet that have some suspect problems that are keeping them on the ground -- Wolf.
BLITZER: That pilot is oh so lucky to be alive, Jamie.
What an amazing animation. Very, very dramatic stuff.
All right, thank God he's OK.
Jamie McIntyre at the Pentagon for us.
January 9, 2008 By Jamie McIntyre
The Situation Room (CNN), 5:00 PM
BLITZER: We're just now getting in some exclusive Pentagon animation showing the break-up of an F-15 fighter jet that prompted the U.S. Air Force to ground its entire fleet.
Let's go to our senior Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre.
He's watching this story for us.
What are we learning from this exclusive animation -- Jamie.
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SENIOR PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, as you recall, this was the accident back in November that resulted in the grounding of the entire fleet of older F-15s. And CNN has obtained exclusively the official U.S. Air Force investigation's recreation of what happened that day.
Major Stephen Stillwell, a Missouri Air Guard pilot, was flying his F-15, attempting an 8G turn at 500 miles an hour when there was a major structural failure in something called the longeron. And, as you can see, the plane literally broke in half.
His wing men radioed him, urging him to eject while there was still time.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Eject. Eject. Eject. Knock it off. Knock it off.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: MIG 3, copy. Knock it off.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: MIG 3, knock it off.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 34, safe enough. Climb high.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCINTYRE: Now Major Stillwell -- even though his plane broke apart around him -- was able to get out. He did recover. He did smash his shoulder in the accident and is still recovering from that.
Meanwhile, the Air Force has now inspected all of the planes and announced just today that 60 percent of the older fleet -- about 280 planes -- will be returned to service. They say they are absolutely confident that what happened to this plane won't happen to those. But there's still 40 percent of the fleet that have some suspect problems that are keeping them on the ground -- Wolf.
BLITZER: That pilot is oh so lucky to be alive, Jamie.
What an amazing animation. Very, very dramatic stuff.
All right, thank God he's OK.
Jamie McIntyre at the Pentagon for us.