Message posted by gary on March 27, 2001 at 3:00:51 PST:

Not much of an update, but here goes:

Monday, March 26, 2001
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Crew dies in crash of bomber on Nellis
German investigators will lead inquiry

REVIEW-JOURNAL

Both crew members were killed when a German Air Force fighter-bomber crashed Friday night 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas, Nellis Air Force Base officials confirmed Sunday.

The German Tornado aircraft was participating in a mock war exercise in the restricted area of the base's training range about 40 miles southeast of Tonopah, officials reported.

Few other details about the 8:57 p.m. accident were released during the weekend.

A Nellis spokeswoman said a team of German air force investigators would arrive tonight to lead a probe of the crash.

"We will just be assisting the Germans in the investigation," said Martine Ramos, chief of internal information for Nellis.

Ramos said details about the nature of the crash could be released later this week.

Because of safety concerns and restrictions on the range, the public and media were not allowed on the crash site.

Germany is one of five foreign nations that sent aircraft to participate in the Red Flag mock-combat aerial exercises, which began March 3 and runs through April 13.

At least 22 people have been killed since 1976 while participating in Red Flag.

But Friday night's crash is believed to be the first fatal accident during the military drills since April 1989, when two U.S. Air Force fliers in an F-111 crashed about 60 miles southeast of Tonopah.

Besides the two Germans killed Friday and a British fighter pilot killed in February 1984, it appears from previous news reports that all other victims killed during Red Flag have been Americans.

In Reply to: Re: Nellis crash update posted by Rocketfox on March 25, 2001 at 14:40:49 PST:

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