Langley Jet Collides With Another Craft

Jun 12, 07:57 AM

Current Headlines: By JAMES HALPIN

By James Halpin

The Associated Press

ANCHORAGE, Alaska

An F-15C fighter jet from Langley Air Force Base in Hampton crashed Monday in Alaska after colliding in mid air with another military jet during a training exercise, Air Force officials said. The other jet landed safely, and no one was seriously injured.

The pilot of the F-15C ejected before the crash and was taken to a military hospital, said Airman Jennifer Anton, a spokeswoman at Eielson Air Force Base near Fairbanks. The pilot did not have serious injuries, she said.

The pilot of the other jet, an F-16C , was uninjured, she said.

It appeared that the F-16C's wing had been clipped by the F-15C, said Airman Justin Weaver, an Eielson spokesman.

It was not immediately clear what caused the collision at 11:23 a.m. during a training exercise about 90 miles east of Fairbanks, Anton said. A board of Air Force officers will investigate.

"I saw it from a distance when it landed, and it didn't really look like there was anything wrong with it," Weaver said.

It was mostly cloudy with scattered showers at the time of the collision, the National Weather Service said.

The F-16C was from Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.

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