Guard F-15 Crashes Off Hawaii; Pilot Rescued

F-15 PILOT RESCUE -- A Coast Guard rescue crew hoist a downed F-15 Hawaii Air National Guard pilot approximately 60 miles south of Oahu at 1:45 p.m. Friday Feb. 1, 2008. (Photo by Air Station Barbers Point, U.S. Coast Guard.)

News in Balance:

HONOLULU, Feb. 2, 2008 -- Oahu-based Coast Guard crews rescued a downed Hawaii Air National Guard pilot about 60 miles south of Oahu today at approximately 2:15 p.m.

Three rescue aircraft crews from Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point and crewmembers aboard the Coast Guard cutter Ahi, an 87-foot patrol boat, immediately responded to the incident, which occurred at 1:37 p.m. The Coast Guard was notified at 1:45 p.m. concerning the distress.

A crewmember aboard one of the rescue helicopters hoisted the pilot and transferred him to The Queen's Medical Center at approximately 3 p.m. The pilot was reported to be in good condition.

Crewmembers from the cutter Ahi, the cutter Kukui, a 225-foot buoy tender, and Coast Guard aircraft crews will stay on scene to check for pollution and debris.

Video

The Associated Press reports the cause of the crash was being investigated. The plane had experienced no problems during a routine training exercise earlier in the day.

The crash comes just a few weeks after the Hawaii Air National Guard, which uses the fighter jets to patrol island airspace, resumed flying the jet. The Guard returned 13 of its 20 planes to the air on Jan. 9. The remaining seven were still grounded and were undergoing inspections by engineers.

The Hawaii National Guard's F-15 jets, built between 1974 and 1978, were acquired in 1987 and had never before experienced a crash, officials said.

The pilot, whose identity was not released, had extensive flight experience, said Maj. Gen. Robert G.F. Lee, the Hawaii National Guard commander.

The pilot said he could not control the plane and started to lose altitude before the crash, according to Lee. That's when he made the decision to eject and parachuted to the water 60 miles south of Honolulu.

(Compiled from Coast Guard and press sources.)

Related local news sources:
Honolulu Star-Bulletin
WKON2
KITV

Related:
Most Air Force F-15s Fit to Fly
Air Force Grounds F-15 A-D Models Until Further Notice

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