Message posted by lone wolf on September 14, 2003 at 19:39:18 PST:

Air Force Thunderbird Crashes At Idaho Air Show
BOISE -

An United States Air Force Thunderbird F-16 has crashed at the Gunfighter Skies Air Show at the at Mountain Home Air force Base. Preliminary reports say that the pilot ejected safely.

According to witnesses, the jet was the last of the six to take off. It climbed straight into the sky and the pilot performed a barrel roll.

While upside down, the pilot maneuvered the jet into a dive. As the jet continued to dive, it appeared to have an engine failure when the pilot struggled to pull up.

The pilot ejected and parachuted to safety far from the crash site. He was treated by military medical personnel.

Emergency crews rushed to the scene to protect onlookers from possibly dangerous gas fumes and flying debris.

The Thunderbird team was from Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada.

Eyewitnesses describe a crash and explosion that shook the nerves of the crowd of thousands. Military police were said to aked for all videotapes of the incident and were told they would be returned following an investigation.

The F-16 has remained the choice of the Thunderbirds for the last 20 years, the longest performance era of any one aircraft.

If you have any images of the crash, mail them to: idaho2news@kbcitv.com or call 472-2224.

In Reply to: Thunderbirds posted by Domino on September 14, 2003 at 19:28:00 PST:

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