F-16, Cessna Collide in Midair

Nov. 16, 2000 -- An F-16 military jet collided in midair with a small civilian plane today near Sarasota, Fla., and crashed in flames in a wooded area, killing at least one person.

The pilot of the military jet ejected and parachuted safely intoa nearby golf course at around 4 p.m., said Larry Leinhauser, spokesman for theManatee County Department of Public Safety. A man aboard the Cessna was killed in the collision. His identitywas being withheld while authorities attempted to notify hisrelatives, said Manatee County Sheriff spokesman Dave Bristow. It was unclear if anyone else was on the plane. The F-16 pilot, an active duty Air Force captain whose name wasnot released, landed then walked to someone’s home to use a phone.

“He’s very, very shaken up, obviously,” Bristow said. “He’sfine. He doesn’t have any scratches.” To avoid nearby homes, the F-16 pilot deliberately guided theplane to a swampy area behind a Home Depot that’s underconstruction, said Braden River district fire chief HenrySheffield.

The smaller plane, a two-person Cessna 172, was destroyed, Leinhauser said. Parts of the Cessna landed on the golf course and a wing crashed through the roof of a house, but no one was injured, authorities said.

The Manatee County Sheriff’s Department joined an emergency response effort an employee described as “massive.”

“It’s a big deal,” said Cynthia Turner of the sheriff’s department public relations office. “We’re responding en masse.”

Crash Investigation Underway An entire green on the fairway was surrounded by yellow crimescene tape and pieces of plane instruments were lying at the basesof several trees. Air Force Capt. Darren Berry said the Air Force is investigatingthe crash in conjunction with the National Transportation SafetyBoard.

The Air Force said the F-16 was from Moody Air Force Base inValdosta, Ga., but was on a training mission that originated fromFlorida’s MacDill Air Force Base, about 20 miles north of the scene of the accident.

Manatee County Sheriff Charles Wells said two F-16s were on the trainingmission but only one was involved in the crash. Leinhauser said several witnesses reported seeing two Cessnascircling each other and “playing tag” shortly before the crash.Witnesses said one of the planes pulled away and the other headednorth into the path of the F-16, Leinhauser said.

Authorities did not have any information on the second Cessna inthe witness accounts.

Cessna ‘Disintegrated’

At the Rosedale Golf and Country Club, witness Bob Morrow, a golf instructor,saw two military jets flying one behind the other while he wasgiving a lesson.

“They flew overhead. Then all of a sudden, boom,” said Morrow.“It looked like the little plane came in from the side.

“Debris started falling,” he said, describing seeing parts ofthe fuselage, motor and wings scattering over three of four acresand hitting some homes.

Witness Don McIlwain said he saw two F-16s flying south and asmaller plane heading east that looked as if it would cross themilitary jets’ path.

McIlwain said he remembered thinking, “I hope it’s highenough.”

“Just as I said that, he went right through it,” McIlwain toldthe Sarasota Herald Tribune. “The small plane justdisintegrated.” The Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon is a single-engine,supersonic jet that can be used for air-to-air combat but mostcommonly is employed in a ground attack role. Most have a singleseat but some have two. The F-16 went into production in 1978 andsaw combat in the Persian Gulf War and in Yugoslavia.

In August of this year, there were three U.S. crashes involvingan F-16.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.