Friday, August 2, 2013

F-16C Falcon jets collide near Chincoteague, Va.

The U.S. Coast Guard rescued an Air National Guard pilot Friday after his plane went down approximately 35 miles southeast of Chincoteague, Va.

The Coast Guard 5th District Command Center received notification via an automated Search and Rescue Satellite Aided Tracking distress signal from an ejection seat registered to an Air National Guard plane at approximately 10:28 p.m. EDT Thursday.

The Navy's Fleet Area Control and Surveillance Facility at Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia Beach contacted Coast Guard officials and confirmed two 113th Wing D.C. Air National Guard F-16C Falcon jets were involved in a mid-air collision. One pilot ejected while the second Falcon flew back to Joint Base Andrews, Md.

An aircrew aboard an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City was dispatched to the scene to assist in the rescue. At approximately 12:30 a.m., Friday, the Jayhawk crew hoisted the pilot and transferred him to Joint Base Andrews.

The pilots were on a routine training mission, military officials said in a press statement. Both pilots were transported to a medical facility at Joint Base Andrews. One pilot was released and the other was transferred to an offsite medical facility for minor injuries.

The rescued Falcon pilot was in good condition, and the cause of the mishap is under investigation.

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