Yahoo NewsTYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AP) — Air Force officials say they believe an F-16 fighter jet has crashed in the Gulf of Mexico.
A news release from Tyndall Air Force Base says the jet was on a routine training mission over the Gulf Thursday morning when the Florida Panhandle base lost contact with the pilot.
Aircraft and rescue forces were immediately sent to the missing jet’s last known location.
No wreckage has been found, but officials are working under the assumption that the plane went down in the water. The U.S. Coast Guard is leading the search and said in a news release that crews first responded to a location about 57 miles south of Panama City.
325 Fighter Wing Vice Commander Col. Mark O’Laughlin says in the Air Force news release that finding the pilot is the top priority.
http://news.yahoo.com/air-force-believes-fighter-jet-crashed-gulf-213533016.html
They aren’t even sure if it crashed?! Transponders, black boxes and flight transmission recordings might help with that.
They’re either cooking something up, completely inept or someone is defecting! Jeez….
the first word that popped into my mind while reading this was Defecting. Strange
Glad I am not off my nut there! 🙂 Remember the rash of defectors in the 80’s?
maybe it was shot down by accident?