U.S. F-16 Crash: Italy-Based Fighter Jet May Have Gone Down Over Adriatic Sea

[viking9]

WASHINGTON — U.S. and Italian aircraft on Monday searched the Adriatic Sea after losing contact with a U.S. fighter jet believed to have crashed during a training mission off the coast of Italy. The headquarters of the 31st Fighter Wing, at Aviano Air Base in Italy, said in a statement that the F-16 fighter had one pilot aboard when contact was lost Monday evening. There was no early word on the fate of the plane or the pilot. "The search for and rescue of our pilot is our top priority," said Col. David W. Walker, 31st operations group commander at Aviano. "We want to assure the family and friends of the lost airman that we are doing everything we can for this effort." Initial word was that the F-16, which had taken off from Aviano, was not carrying weapons. Italian aircraft and boats were helping in the search. The paramilitary Carabinieri force deployed helicopters, the Italian coast guard had motorboats in the area and Italian air force helicopters were also involved. The search was focused on waters off a roughly a 9.5-mile stretch of coast between Cervia and Cesenatico in the northwestern end of the Adriatic.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/28/us-f16-crash_n_2568844.html

[viking9]

Italian search and rescue teams have recovered debris in the Adriatic Sea which they believe belongs to a missing Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon operated by the US Air Force. The USAF says the fighter, assigned to the 31st Fighter Wing at Aviano air base, went missing on a night-time training mission on 28 January. Controllers lost contact with the pilot at about 20:00 local time, the USAF says. Italian air and sea rescue assets were immediately dispatched to the aircraft's last known location 10-15nm (19-28km) east of Cervia, Italy. US military officials are co-ordinating search and rescue efforts with Italian military and civilian teams. However, they have yet to find any sign of the pilot. "We are tremendously grateful for the support and co-ordination we've received from the Italian people and government," says Brig Gen Scott Zobrist, commander of 31st Fighter Wing.

http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/italian-search-teams-find-wreckage-of-missing-usaf-f-16-381609/