Pilot dies as Guard jets crash

May 18, 2004|Associated Press

OAKTOWN, Ind. -- Two F-16 fighter jets collided yesterday over rural Indiana during training, killing one of the pilots, the Air National Guard said. The other pilot parachuted to safety.

One of the planes crashed in rural Illinois, while the other came down in a farm field in Indiana, authorities said. No injuries or damage on the ground were reported.

The fighter jets were from Terre Haute, about 40 miles north of Oaktown, and were in airspace reserved for military training near the Indiana-Illinois state line, National Guard Captain Lisa Kopczynski said.

The cause of the accident was not disclosed. Thunderstorms were reported in the area at the time.

Resident Lisa Hall said she heard an explosion and saw a pilot's body in a farmer's field nearby.

She and other witnesses said a pilot dropped to the ground with a parachute.

The officer was taken to a hospital. His condition was not disclosed.

The names of the pilots were not immediately released.

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