2 Dead When F-16 and Cessna Collide in Midair
Two people died when a military fighter crashed into a Cessna plane today midair about 11 miles north of Charleston, South Carolina, according to the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board.
The NTSB confirmed this afternoon that the two people on board the Cessna C150 died in the 11:06 a.m. crash with the F-16 fighter. The identities of the pilot and the passenger who were killed in the two-seater plane have not been released.
An Air Force spokesman confirmed to ABC News that the pilot of the F-16, identified as Maj. Aaron Johnson, ejected from the plane and is now being evaluated at Joint Base Charleston's medical clinic. The plane and pilot came from Shaw Air Force Base, roughly 100 miles north west of Charleston.
Capt. Robert McCullough, of the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, said divers from his agency had been looking for the bodies in the Cooper River. The F-16 crashed about 5 miles away, according to McCullough.
The Air Force also said that a "team of investigators will convene to determine the cause of the accident. No further information is available at this time."
