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Arizona Republic (Phoenix)
March 15, 2008 By Brent Whiting, The Arizona Republic
The pilot of an F-16C fighter jet from Luke Air Force Base was reported missing after the jet crashed south of Alamo Lake, about 50 miles northwest of Wickenburg, authorities said.
The pilot, who is assigned to the 62nd Fighter Squadron, was on an air-to-air student training mission when the crash occurred about noon, said Mary Jo May, a Luke spokeswoman. The aviator's name was not released.
"The status of the pilot is unknown," May said, adding that further details about the crash were not immediately available.
A board will investigate the crash that took place in the rugged Buckskin Mountains east of Parker, May added.
The last crash of an F-16 fighter jet from Luke occurred Dec. 4, 2006, on a training mission about 85 miles south of the base. Luke is the world's largest F-16 training base.
The two crew members, also assigned to the 62nd Fighter Squadron, ejected safely.
An earlier crash occurred April 11, 2006, when an F-16 crashed in a cornfield near Cotton Lane and Camelback Road while taking off from the Glendale base on a training mission.
The pilot, Capt. Jason Attaway of Dallas, ejected safely and was treated at Banner Estrella Medical Center.
An Air Force investigation board later determined that a valve malfunction caused fuel to be fed to a hot but shut-off engine, resulting in an explosion.
The crash happened in Luke's Southern Departure Corridor, a route to the Barry M. Goldwater Range that local, state and federal officials have struggled to keep clear of homes.
Previously, an F-16 connected to Luke went down May 19, 2004, killing a Singapore air force pilot. The pilot, 1st Lt. Brandon Loo, 25, was taking part in night-vision training south of the Goldwater Range in the Sells Military Operating area when his jet crashed.
Before that, two Luke F-16s crashed on June 10 and June 13, 2003. The first crash was caused by a defective engine part, and the second occurred when a vulture was sucked into the engine.
The crashes were part of a string that led to increased inspections and retrofitting of engines in the aging fighters.
March 15, 2008 By Brent Whiting, The Arizona Republic
The pilot of an F-16C fighter jet from Luke Air Force Base was reported missing after the jet crashed south of Alamo Lake, about 50 miles northwest of Wickenburg, authorities said.
The pilot, who is assigned to the 62nd Fighter Squadron, was on an air-to-air student training mission when the crash occurred about noon, said Mary Jo May, a Luke spokeswoman. The aviator's name was not released.
"The status of the pilot is unknown," May said, adding that further details about the crash were not immediately available.
A board will investigate the crash that took place in the rugged Buckskin Mountains east of Parker, May added.
The last crash of an F-16 fighter jet from Luke occurred Dec. 4, 2006, on a training mission about 85 miles south of the base. Luke is the world's largest F-16 training base.
The two crew members, also assigned to the 62nd Fighter Squadron, ejected safely.
An earlier crash occurred April 11, 2006, when an F-16 crashed in a cornfield near Cotton Lane and Camelback Road while taking off from the Glendale base on a training mission.
The pilot, Capt. Jason Attaway of Dallas, ejected safely and was treated at Banner Estrella Medical Center.
An Air Force investigation board later determined that a valve malfunction caused fuel to be fed to a hot but shut-off engine, resulting in an explosion.
The crash happened in Luke's Southern Departure Corridor, a route to the Barry M. Goldwater Range that local, state and federal officials have struggled to keep clear of homes.
Previously, an F-16 connected to Luke went down May 19, 2004, killing a Singapore air force pilot. The pilot, 1st Lt. Brandon Loo, 25, was taking part in night-vision training south of the Goldwater Range in the Sells Military Operating area when his jet crashed.
Before that, two Luke F-16s crashed on June 10 and June 13, 2003. The first crash was caused by a defective engine part, and the second occurred when a vulture was sucked into the engine.
The crashes were part of a string that led to increased inspections and retrofitting of engines in the aging fighters.