2 Shaw F-16s collide off Charleston

[beaupower32]

October 15, 2009 Two F-16s from the 20th Fighter Wing based at Shaw Air Force Bases have collided in mid-air somewhere over the Atlantic at 20.30h local time. One jet its pilot are reported to be missing.


Both F-16s were on a night training exercise at the time. According to officials one of the pilots (Capt. Lee Bryant) was able to bring his damaged F-16 back to Charleston Air Force Base and was seen by medical teams before being discharged. The whereabouts of the other pilot (Capt. Nicholas Giglio) is unknown.

The crash happened "40 miles east of Folly Beach," said Rob Sexton, the chief of public affairs at Shaw.

Units from the US Coast Guard, US Navy and aircraft based out of Charleston Air Force Base are all participating in the search for the missing pilot. The searching area being covered is 10 nautical miles off Bulls Bay.

Earlier this week, Shaw Air Force Base had announced that pilots would be conducting nighttime exercises to get pilots proficient with night vision equipment and practice tactics critical to surviving in combat

The airforce has set up a board of enquiry to investigate the accident

 

[ccheese]

Lets hope they find all the occupants alive and well...

Charles

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Damn lets hope for the best...

 

[Vassili Zaitzev]

Crap, I hope the other pilot bailed out, and is alright.

 

[muller]

Same thing happened in France a few weeks ago. Lets hope they find the guy.

 

[ToughOmbre]

Hoping for a positive outcome for that pilot and his family.

TO

 

[beaupower32]

Still no update yet. Coast Guard said that the beacons that go off when a accident happen have not come on. They have on on the Ejection Seat and plane itself from what I was told. Accident happened 40 miles off the coast and Coast Guard expanded it to 1500 miles today so far. Even have people in personal boats helping out. Will update when I get more news.

 

[vikingBerserker]

That stinks, hope he's ok.

 

[B-17engineer]

I hope for the best

 

[Thorlifter]

I always hate to hear this. I'm hoping for the best.

 

[Colin1]

I'm thinking worst-case
if the F-16 nosed straight in, under power, the TACBE might not operate at depth or would have insufficient power to make its presence/location known. I hope to God he punched out in time and they find him floating around in his dinghy.

 

[Lucky13]

Hoping for the best!

 

[RabidAlien]

Prayin for his survival, recovery, and his family.

 

[wheelsup_cavu]

Same thing happened in France a few weeks ago. Lets hope they find the guy.

And alive this time.
I am hoping to hear some good news on this one.


Wheels

 

[beaupower32]

Well guys, I hate to say but they have called off the search and the pilot is persumed dead. to the wife and family. May god be with you.


Coast Guard and Air Force officials have called off the search for Air Force F-16 pilot Capt. Nicholas Giglio after determining that he likely died in a midair collision with another jet Thursday night.

U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Michael McAllister, commanding officer of Coast Guard Sector Charleston, said late Saturday that rescuers collectively searched 170 hours over two days and covered 8,000 square miles. "We're confident that if Capt. Giglio had ejected safely from his aircraft we would have found him," McAllister said.

Giglio was a flier from Shaw Air Force Base in Sumter. His plane went down Thursday evening during night training exercises off the South Carolina coast. Two fighters collided, but the second F-16, although damaged, was able to make it back to Charleston Air Force Base.

That jet was piloted by Capt. Lee Bryant, who was examined but suffered no injuries and was released.

McAllister said the Air Force thoroughly examined the sensors on Bryant's plane, as well as damage to that aircraft. "They concluded that the impact between the two aircraft was such that it's likely that (Giglio) was killed in the collision between the two aircraft," he said.

"It appears that the canopy of Giglio's airplane was severely damaged by one of the pods hanging below the other aircraft," McAllister said. "So the Air Force concluded it's very unlikely that the pilot survived the initial collision and, therefore, could not eject safely." The Coast Guard and Air Force have suspended the active search effort, he said, and are transitioning to the recovery phase.

After investigating for the past two days, "We're confident in the position where the aircraft went into the water," McAllister said.

The water there is 50 feet deep, he said. Recovery workers will continue looking for the plane in hopes that it will contain more clues about what happened to Giglio.

McAllister said he and Col. Joseph Guastella, commander of the 20th Fighter Wing at Shaw Air Force Base, of which Giglio was a part, told Giglio's family members about the search being called off.

"Our thoughts and prayers go out to Capt. Giglio's family and his fellow airmen at Shaw Air Force Base," McAllister said.

 

[vikingBerserker]

Dam.....

Thanks for the update BP

 

[B-17engineer]

That stinks.......

 

[Angels one-five]

Bad news. RIP.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Terrible news.

 

[evangilder]

Hate to see that happen.