Gufi
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WASHINGTON — Two people were killed when their small civilian aircraft collided in midair with an F-16 fighter jet on Tuesday near Charleston, S.C., according to the National Transportation Safety Board.
The authorities said late Tuesday afternoon that they were still searching for the remains of the two occupants of the smaller plane, a Cessna C150. The authorities said they had no reason to believe that the civilians were alive, and they did not identify them.
The Air Force pilot of the F-16, Maj. Aaron Johnson of the 55th Fighter Squadron, safely ejected from the aircraft. He was taken to nearby Joint Base Charleston for observation but did not sustain any injuries. He was expected to return late Tuesday to Shaw Air Force Base in Sumter, S.C., where he is based, said Col. Stephen F. Jost, the commander of the 20th Fighter Wing based there.
Colonel Jost described Major Johnson as a “highly experienced pilot” who had probably accumulated around 1,500 hours of flying time.
The collision occurred at about 11 a.m. near the Lewisfield Plantation in Berkeley County, S.C., officials said at a news conference. The plantation was built during the Revolutionary War and is about 50 minutes north of Charleston. The federal authorities, led by the National Transportation Safety Board, will investigate the crash.
Major Johnson had been flying an instrument training mission between Shaw and Joint Base Charleston. The Cessna had taken off a few minutes earlier from Berkeley County Airport, said Bill Salisbury, the chief of the Berkeley County rescue squad and the county coroner. The private plane was believed to have been en route to Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Colonel Jost said the collision probably happened at an altitude from 2,000 to 3,000 feet.
“There are a hundred factors that could have been at play here, and we will certainly be looking at all of those to determine what could have happened,” Colonel Jost said.
Officials said that debris was spread over an expansive area, most of which was marshland. They said no one on the ground was injured by falling plane pieces.
The Berkeley County sheriff’s office and rescue squad first responded at the site, and were joined by other local, state and federal authorities, said Michael Mulé, a spokesman for Berkeley County.
An investigator from the N.T.S.B. was expected to arrive Tuesday evening, but a spokesman for the agency said it was anticipated that no additional information about the accident would be available until at least Wednesday.
The authorities said late Tuesday afternoon that they were still searching for the remains of the two occupants of the smaller plane, a Cessna C150. The authorities said they had no reason to believe that the civilians were alive, and they did not identify them.
The Air Force pilot of the F-16, Maj. Aaron Johnson of the 55th Fighter Squadron, safely ejected from the aircraft. He was taken to nearby Joint Base Charleston for observation but did not sustain any injuries. He was expected to return late Tuesday to Shaw Air Force Base in Sumter, S.C., where he is based, said Col. Stephen F. Jost, the commander of the 20th Fighter Wing based there.
Colonel Jost described Major Johnson as a “highly experienced pilot” who had probably accumulated around 1,500 hours of flying time.
The collision occurred at about 11 a.m. near the Lewisfield Plantation in Berkeley County, S.C., officials said at a news conference. The plantation was built during the Revolutionary War and is about 50 minutes north of Charleston. The federal authorities, led by the National Transportation Safety Board, will investigate the crash.
Major Johnson had been flying an instrument training mission between Shaw and Joint Base Charleston. The Cessna had taken off a few minutes earlier from Berkeley County Airport, said Bill Salisbury, the chief of the Berkeley County rescue squad and the county coroner. The private plane was believed to have been en route to Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Colonel Jost said the collision probably happened at an altitude from 2,000 to 3,000 feet.
“There are a hundred factors that could have been at play here, and we will certainly be looking at all of those to determine what could have happened,” Colonel Jost said.
Officials said that debris was spread over an expansive area, most of which was marshland. They said no one on the ground was injured by falling plane pieces.
The Berkeley County sheriff’s office and rescue squad first responded at the site, and were joined by other local, state and federal authorities, said Michael Mulé, a spokesman for Berkeley County.
An investigator from the N.T.S.B. was expected to arrive Tuesday evening, but a spokesman for the agency said it was anticipated that no additional information about the accident would be available until at least Wednesday.
