NJ F16 Crashes Off Coast

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Newsday

F-16 Crashes Off the Coast of N.J.

by JOHN CURRAN Associated Press Writer

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) -- A military pilot ditched his F-16 fighter jet in the ocean off the New Jersey coast Thursday after its engine quit, ejecting safely before it crashed.

The Air National Guard pilot parachuted into the ocean, landing about 250 yards from shore, witnesses said. He was quickly picked up by a state police boat.

The pilot, whose name wasn't released, suffered minor bruises and a backache.

''He did a great job of ditching the plane, I'll tell you. That's a crowded beach right there, with the surfers and the trucks and the houses,'' said Dan Daley, one of several lifeguards who watched as the plane went down.

Authorities said the pilot reported having engine trouble while training over the ocean with three other planes from the 177th Fighter Wing.

The pilot tried to return to his base at the Atlantic City International Airport but turned back because he was worried he didn't have enough power, according to Lt. Col. Michael Cosby, executive officer of the 177th Fighter Wing.

Another pilot flew ahead to make sure there were no boats in the area where the F-16 hit, said Col. John Dwyer, a spokesman for the New Jersey National Guard.

It was the third U.S. crash this month involving an F-16.

Also Thursday, a military training plane crashed into a field in San Antonio after the pilot and co-pilot ejected.

The single-engine T-6A Texan II trainer that crashed is part of the 559th Flying Training Squadron from Randolph Air Force Base. The two men suffered minor cuts, base spokesman Lt. Jerald Black said.

-- Rachel Gibson (rgibson@hotmail.com), September 01, 2000


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