thedrifter
07-21-04, 08:57 PM
Miramar-based F-18 jets collide in Oregon; 2 reported dead
6:10 p.m. July 21, 2004
SAN DIEGO – Two Miramar-based Marine Corps fighter jets collided in a fiery crash over the Columbia River in Oregon Wednesday, killing two of the three crewmen involved, authorities said.
"We have two pilots that have been found dead, one on the Oregon side of the Columbia River and one on the Washington (state) side," Chris Fitzsimmons, Emergency Management Coordinator for Oregon's Gilliam County, told Reuters by telephone.
The jets, both F-18 warplanes, collided over the Columbia River near Arlington, about 120 miles east of Portland.
A pilot who survived was being treated in the emergency room at Mid-Columbia Medical Center in The Dalles, Ore., and was speaking and coherent, said hospital spokeswoman Yvonne Arbogast.
Debris from the jets was scattered as far away as Interstate 84, eight miles south of Arlington, Fitzsimmons said.
"We felt it, like a supersonic boom, like someone ran into the building," said Linda Williams, an employee of the Village Inn in Arlington.
Eyewitnesses reported seeing three parachutes in the air, indicating all three airmen managed to eject from their aircraft, according to television.
Williams said she saw two parachutes, one landing on a hillside and one in the river.
The two aircraft, F-18s based at the Miramar Marine Corps Air Station, were on their way from Portland, Ore., to a training range when they collided about 2:30 p.m., said a spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration.
Other witnesses reported hearing a "big boom," then seeing a fiery explosion in the sky, Fitzsimmons said.
The Oregon National Guard was preparing to send two Blackhawk helicopters to northeastern Oregon, said guard spokesman Cpt. Mike Braibish. The helicopters would provide whatever support necessary, he said.
The F-18 has either one or two seats depending on the version. It was first test-flown in 1978.
They are designed for air-to-air and air-to-ground combat.
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Stories from Reuters and The Associated Press were used in compiling this report.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/military/20040721-1606-jetscollide.html
Ellie
6:10 p.m. July 21, 2004
SAN DIEGO – Two Miramar-based Marine Corps fighter jets collided in a fiery crash over the Columbia River in Oregon Wednesday, killing two of the three crewmen involved, authorities said.
"We have two pilots that have been found dead, one on the Oregon side of the Columbia River and one on the Washington (state) side," Chris Fitzsimmons, Emergency Management Coordinator for Oregon's Gilliam County, told Reuters by telephone.
The jets, both F-18 warplanes, collided over the Columbia River near Arlington, about 120 miles east of Portland.
A pilot who survived was being treated in the emergency room at Mid-Columbia Medical Center in The Dalles, Ore., and was speaking and coherent, said hospital spokeswoman Yvonne Arbogast.
Debris from the jets was scattered as far away as Interstate 84, eight miles south of Arlington, Fitzsimmons said.
"We felt it, like a supersonic boom, like someone ran into the building," said Linda Williams, an employee of the Village Inn in Arlington.
Eyewitnesses reported seeing three parachutes in the air, indicating all three airmen managed to eject from their aircraft, according to television.
Williams said she saw two parachutes, one landing on a hillside and one in the river.
The two aircraft, F-18s based at the Miramar Marine Corps Air Station, were on their way from Portland, Ore., to a training range when they collided about 2:30 p.m., said a spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration.
Other witnesses reported hearing a "big boom," then seeing a fiery explosion in the sky, Fitzsimmons said.
The Oregon National Guard was preparing to send two Blackhawk helicopters to northeastern Oregon, said guard spokesman Cpt. Mike Braibish. The helicopters would provide whatever support necessary, he said.
The F-18 has either one or two seats depending on the version. It was first test-flown in 1978.
They are designed for air-to-air and air-to-ground combat.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stories from Reuters and The Associated Press were used in compiling this report.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/military/20040721-1606-jetscollide.html
Ellie