Monday , June 26, 2006

 
KING CITY, Calif. — Two Navy fighter jets collided Monday over a military base, killing one pilot and seriously injuring another, authorities said.

The F/A-18 jets from Lemoore Naval Air Station were practicing dogfighting maneuvers when they crashed at Fort Hunter Liggett, a remote Army Reserve base 150 miles south of San Francisco, said Navy spokesman Dennis McGrath.

The victims were members of Strike Fighter Squadron 125, also known as the "Rough Riders."

Details were not immediately known, but a Fort Hunter Liggett spokesman said two parachutes were seen, indicating the pilots ejected.

The crash sparked several small fires.

Lemoore supplies all the fighter jets to Navy ships off the West Coast and serves as a training site for F/A-18s. Dozens of fighters rotate to and from aircraft carriers per month.

The Lemoore base is about 100 miles inland from where the crash took place.

The F/A-18C "Hornet" is a McDonnell-Douglas single-seat fighter jet that can reach a speed of 1,190 mph.

"Hundreds of thousands of American servicemen and women are deployed across the world in the war on terror. By bringing hope to the oppressed, and delivering justice to the violent, they are making America more secure. "
George W. Bush

"Oh bother," mumbles Pooh as he chambers another round.

CR6 to Cherokeekate - Another poser busted.  One shot one kill should be YOUR motto.  Or is it MOS?