Pilot sought after 2 F-16s collide off SC coast

[samanthajane13]

By BRUCE SMITH, Associated Press Writer Bruce Smith, Associated Press Writer – 2 hrs 6 mins ago

CHARLESTON, S.C. – Crews searched more than 750 square miles of the Atlantic on Friday for an F-16 fighter pilot whose plane hit another fighter mid-air during night training exercises off the South Carolina coast.

The two planes collided Thursday around 8:30 p.m. about 40 miles off Folly Beach, near Charleston, said Senior Master Sgt. Brad Fallin at Shaw Air Force Base in Sumter. Both jets, based at Shaw, are single-seat aircraft.

One jet, piloted by Capt. Lee Bryant, landed safely at Charleston Air Force Base, Fallin said. Bryant was examined at the base but had suffered no injuries and was released, Fallin said. The spokesman did not know where Bryant was early Friday.

Search crews had not yet found the missing plane or its pilot, Capt. Nicholas Giglio, Fallin said.

It was cloudy and raining with 3-foot seas at the time of the crash, the Coast Guard said. There were occasional showers early Friday as the Coast Guard searched with a helicopter, a C-130 airplane, a cutter and two smaller boats.

"It doesn't make it easier but we're still able to fly and do our jobs," Coast Guard Petty Officer Bobby Nash said.

The pilots' hometowns and ages were not immediately available.

Fallin said he didn't know how much damage Bryant's plane sustained. Fallin said it was being examined as part of the investigation.

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


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091016/ap_on_re_us/us_f16_collision

[samanthajane13]

Search underway after F-16s collide over Atlantic

WASHINGTON (AFP) – The US military launched a nighttime search for a pilot missing in the Atlantic ocean Thursday after two F-16 fighter jets collided, the US Air Force said.

One of the two aircraft landed safely at an air force base near Charleston in the southeastern state of South Carolina, from where the single-pilot fighters were conducting a night proficiency training mission.

"There is a search underway for one pilot," Air Force Technical Sergeant Vincent Mouzon told AFP, adding that the search was continuing into early Friday.

The US Coast Guard launched search and rescue teams in two vessels and a helicopter to try and locate the pilot some 30 miles (48 kilometers) off the coast of Charleston, a Coast Guard official said.

The jets involved in the collision are stationed at Shaw Air Force Base, where pilots routinely practice with night-vision equipment as part of their combat training.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20091016/ts_alt_afp/usmilitaryaviationaccident;_ylt=Ar4jBglUclD58W__D0 FRM6jqChkF;_ylu=X3oDMTJ1NGlpOTczBGFzc2V0A2FmcC8yMD A5MTAxNi91c21pbGl0YXJ5YXZpYXRpb25hY2NpZGVudARjcG9z AzcEcG9zAzcEc2VjA3luX3RvcF9zdG9yaWVzBHNsawNzZWFyY2 h1bmRlcnc-

[samanthajane13]

Debris found during search for missing F-16 pilot
By BRUCE SMITH, Associated Press Writer Bruce Smith, Associated Press Writer – 15 mins ago

CHARLESTON, S.C. – Debris and an oil slick were spotted in the Atlantic off the South Carolina coast as the search expanded Friday for an F-16 fighter pilot whose jet collided with another during night training exercises.

"We did have a report of an oil sheen which might be consistent with fuel from the fighter jet itself and we have also had a report of a small amount of debris," said Capt. Michael McAllister, commander of Coast Guard Sector Charleston.

The search was expanded from 750 to 1,300 square miles as Coast Guard and Air Force aircraft joined vessels from the Coast Guard, Navy, law enforcement and commercial shippers searching for Capt. Nicholas Giglio. He is based at Shaw Air Force Base in Sumter.

McAllister, who said he did not know exactly what the debris was, said there would have been a tracking beacon both on the pilot and his ejection seat, but no signal has been picked up.

"We presume there is a pilot who is in the water and needs to be rescued," he said. "The lack of a beacon might indicate that the pilot didn't safety eject or that there was an equipment malfunction. It makes it more difficult for us since we don't have the beacon to hone in on."

The planes collided Thursday around 8:30 p.m. about 40 miles off the South Carolina coast, said Senior Master Sgt. Brad Fallin at Shaw Air Force Base. Both jets, based at Shaw, are single-seat aircraft.

The jet piloted by Capt. Lee Bryant landed safely at Charleston Air Force Base, Fallin said. Bryant was examined at the base but suffered no injuries and was released.

McAllister said visibility was good and winds were about 25 mph at the time of the collision. He said he did not think it was raining at the time.

The water temperatures in the crash area were about 75 degrees and most people could survive 24 hours, he said.

"Given that this was a military member they would probably be in good shape and have a will to live. We would expect it would be quite a bit more than the 24 hours," McAllister said.

Giglio graduated from Lacey Township High School in New Jersey in 1995, said the school district's assistant supertintendent, Vanessa P. Clark. His mother, Helen Giglio, is a special education teacher at a district elementary school.

"Obviously, our hopes thoughts and prayers are with the family," Clark said.

The pilots' ages were not immediately available, nor was Bryant's home town.

Fallin said he didn't know how much damage Bryant's plane sustained and that it was being examined as part of the investigation.

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


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091016/ap_on_re_us/us_f16_collision

[samanthajane13]

Search widened for missing F-16 pilot off SC coast

CHARLESTON, S.C. – Aircraft and ships continue to search the Atlantic Ocean off the South Carolina coast for an F-16 fighter pilot whose jet collided with another aircraft during night training exercises.

Coast Guard Petty Officer Bobby Nash said Saturday the search for Capt. Nicholas Giglio has expanded to about 4,000 square miles. Coast Guard units from four states are involved.

Authorities said there were reports of an oil slick and debris after the crash, but no signals were received from emergency beacons on the plane or pilot.

The pilot of the other jet was able to land his damaged plane after the Thursday night collision. He was not injured and has returned to Shaw Air Force Base in Sumter.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091017/ap_on_re_us/us_f16_collision

[samanthajane13]

Air Force: Missing pilot likely died instantly
By JEFFREY COLLINS, Associated Press Writer Jeffrey Collins, Associated Press Writer – 1 hr 39 mins ago

SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. – An Air Force pilot likely died instantly when his F-16 fighter jet collided with another over the Atlantic Ocean, authorities said Saturday.

The search for Capt. Nicholas Giglio, who has been missing since Thursday night's crash, was shifted to a recovery effort looking for his body and the plane's wreckage.

Investigators believe the bottom of the other jet struck the top of Giglio's fighter and pierced the pilot's canopy, Air Force Col. Joe Guastella said. The other pilot was not injured and was able to land his plane safely.

Investigators came to their conclusion using data gathered from the second plane and an interview with the other pilot. Also, radio beacons on the aircraft and the pilot were never activated, indicating Giglio never left the cockpit, Guastella said.

"He had no opportunity to eject from the aircraft," Guastella said.

The Coast Guard, which spent nearly two days looking for the pilot in 8,000 square miles of ocean about 40 miles northeast of Charleston, has now shifted to trying to recover the jet, said Capt. Michael McAllister, director for the search.

The collision happened as Giglio and the second pilot, Capt. Lee Bryant, were in a night training exercise. The pilots had finished most of their maneuvers and were getting ready to head home when they hit, Guastella said.

The flight controls of Bryant's jet were miraculously not damaged, and he managed to land at Charleston Air Force Base without injury, Guastella said.

The two pilots were part of Shaw Air Force Base's 20th Fighter Wing commanded by Guastella. Giglio, originally from New Jersey, has been a fighter pilot for 18 months and is part of the 77th Fighter Squadron that is training for deployment to Iraq early next year. He took his first F-16 flight with Guastella, who was an instructor then.

"He is a patriot and a great American," said Guastella, who told Giglio's family about the investigators' findings a few hours before the public announcement.

Giglio, 32, leaves behind a wife, a young daughter and a baby on the way, Guastella said.

The 20th Fighter Wing hasn't flown since the collision and will likely remain grounded until Tuesday, its commander said.

Officials said after the crash that there were reports of debris and an oil slick in the water, but investigators haven't determined if that came from Giglio's jet. The water is about 50 feet deep in the area where the Air Force thinks the F-16 went down, McAllister said.

The Coast Guard used its helicopters and boats as well as private volunteers who helped in the search.

"If Capt. Giglio had ejected safely from the aircraft, we're confident we would have found him," McAllister said.

___

Associated Press Writer Bruce Smith in Charleston contributed to this report.

(This version CORRECTS that the crash was 40 miles northeast of Charleston, not 40 nautical miles.)


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091018/ap_on_re_us/us_f16_collision

[samanthajane13]

Air Force: Missing pilot had no chance to eject
By JEFFREY COLLINS, Associated Press Writer Jeffrey Collins, Associated Press Writer – 1 hr 2 mins ago

SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. – Authorities say an Air Force pilot had no opportunity to eject after a collision between two F-16 fighter jets offshore, and Coast Guard searchers say they've shifted efforts to finding his body and recovering the plane's wreckage.

A search for Capt. Nicholas Giglio, missing since Thursday night's crash, had involved Coast Guard helicopters, ships and private volunteers scouring some 8,000 square miles of Atlantic waters. Authorities said Saturday investigators believe Giglio died instantly during a night training exercise.

The Coast Guard had spent nearly two days conducting the search for the pilot in waters about 40 miles northeast of Charleston. Capt. Michael McAllister, director for the search, described that effort as exhaustive.

"If Capt. Giglio had ejected safely from the aircraft, we're confident we would have found him," McAllister said.

The other pilot was uninjured and landed his F-16 safely at Charleston Air Force Base.

Air Force Col. Joe Guastella said Saturday that investigators believe the bottom of the other jet struck the top of Giglio's fighter and pierced the pilot's canopy.

He said the collision occurred after Giglio and the second pilot, Capt. Lee Bryant, had finished most of their maneuvers and were getting ready to head home. Guastella added that radio beacons on the missing aircraft and pilot were never activated, indicating Giglio never left the cockpit.

"He had no opportunity to eject from the aircraft," Guastella said.

Investigators came to their conclusion using data gathered from the second jet and an interview with Bryant, whose flight controls weren't damaged, Guastella added.

The two pilots were part of Shaw Air Force Base's 20th Fighter Wing commanded by Guastella.

Giglio has been a fighter pilot for 18 months and part of the 77th Fighter Squadron training for a scheduled deployment to Iraq early next year. Originally from New Jersey, the 32-year-old pilot leaves behind a wife, a young daughter and a baby on the way, Guastella said.

Officials said there were reports of debris and an oil slick in the water after the crash, but investigators haven't determined if that came from Giglio's jet. The water is about 50 feet deep in the area where the Air Force thinks the F-16 went down, according to authorities.

___

Associated Press Writer Bruce Smith in Charleston contributed to this report.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091018/ap_on_re_us/us_f16_collision