Mirage F-1 fighter aircraft crashed near Luke AFB

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PHXPhlyer
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Mirage F-1 fighter aircraft crashed near Luke AFB

#1 Post by PHXPhlyer » Fri Feb 11, 2022 12:38 am

Fighter jet from Luke AFB crashes near Buckeye; pilot not seriously hurt

https://www.azfamily.com/news/fighter-j ... _id=997196

BUCKEYE, AZ (3TV/CBS 5/AP) -- Luke Air Force base officials are investigating after a fighter jet crashed during a routine training mission Thursday morning. It happened around 11 a.m. about 15 miles northwest of the military base, just north of White Tanks Mountain.

Military officials say a Mirage F-1 fighter aircraft crashed 15 miles northwest of the base.

Military officials say a French-made Mirage F1 went down in the middle of nowhere so no one on the ground was hurt. The Air Force sent crews from the base fire department, explosives ordinance specialists and security police to secure the site, and the Buckeye Fire Department was also on scene.

The plane was destroyed. John Rupp, director of foreign military sales for Airborne Tactical Advantage Co., confirmed it was one of his company’s jets that went down. “The pilot is safe and doing well,” Rupp told The Associated Press. The pilot was taken to a hospital for evaluation and is being treated for only minor injuries. It's unclear what caused the crash, and an investigation is underway.

The plane had been operating out of Luke, the Air Force’s main base for training F-35 fighter pilots. Brig. Gen. Gregory Kreuder, commander of the base’s 56th Fighter Wing, said in a statement that the base is committed to safety.

“We are thankful for the continued outstanding support Luke receives from our community partners, especially during difficult situations like this,” Kreuder said. “Finally, I’m grateful nobody was hurt on the ground and the pilot was safely recovered with only minor injuries.”

ATAC is one of a growing number of contractors that fly aircraft to help train military aviators. The company provides aggressor aircraft to help military fighter pilots learn their trade as well as other services to the military. Airborne Tactical Advantage Company released the following statement:

https://atacusa.com/

“Today, an ATAC Mirage F1 fighter aircraft supporting military flight training at Luke Air Force Base was destroyed when it crashed in an uninhabited area outside the base. The pilot safely ejected and is being treated for minor injuries. ATAC is investigating the incident and will work with relevant authorities to determine the cause and take any remedial action that is necessary. We ask for your understanding as we work through all the details of this investigation. ATAC will provide more information as it becomes available.”

Previous crash involving Mirage F1
Another Mirage F1 operated by a different contractor crashed in Las Vegas last year as the pilot came in to land at nearby Nellis Air Force Base. The pilot was killed. The May 24 crash happened after the pilot had an inflight emergency and crashed into a neighborhood shortly. Pilot Nicholas Hunter Hamilton, 43, of Las Vegas, reported a “flap issue” and ejected shortly before the plane hit the ground.

Hamilton retired after 20 years as a U.S. Air Force fighter pilot and had been employed by military contractor Draken International.

Exactly in the middle of nowhere? :-? Not near the edge? =))

PP

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Re: Mirage F-1 fighter aircraft crashed near Luke AFB

#2 Post by PHXPhlyer » Sat Mar 05, 2022 1:52 pm

NTSB: Luke AFB fighter jet’s engine quit before it crashed in Arizona

https://www.azfamily.com/2022/03/04/nts ... d-arizona/

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — The pilot of a fighter jet operated by a military contractor that crashed outside Phoenix last month reported a fuel problem and then a failure of the jet’s engine before he ejected and the plane went down in the open desert, according to a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board.

The French-built Mirage F1 was flying out of Luke Air Force Base in the Phoenix suburb of Glendale on Feb. 10 on a mission to help train military fighter pilots from the training base. It was found about 15 miles northwest of the military base, just north of White Tanks Mountain. The NTSB report says the pilot was flying with another contractor jet operating out of Luke as aggressors, planes that simulate attacks on competing fighters. The two supersonic Mirage fighters split up to work in a military operations area northwest of Phoenix, and near the end of the activity, the pilot reported there was a discrepancy in two cockpit fuel indicators.

The pilot left the training area when he reached minimum fuel levels and was flying back toward Luke when he said he lost fuel pressure and the engine quit, according to the NTSB report. The pilot told investigators that he tried to restart the jet’s engine but that effort failed. When he determined he was too far away from Luke to get the plane safely on the runway he steered the jet out into an open desert area and ejected. The pilot suffered minor injuries and the plane crashed about 16 miles (26 kilometers) northwest of the base. The wreckage has been recovered and will be examined by investigators who are trying to determine the cause of the crash.

The pilot’s identity has not been released, but he was flying for Airborne Tactical Advantage Co., a Newport News, Va., company that contracts with the military. The company known as ATAC is one of a growing number of contractors that fly aircraft to help train military aviators and operates the F1 and other former military jets. It provides aggressor aircraft to help military fighter pilots learn their trade as well as other services to the military.

The crash was the second involving a Mirage F1 operated by a contractor in the past year. A jet operated by a different contractor crashed in Las Vegas last year as the pilot came into land at Nellis Air Force Base. The pilot — Nicholas Hunter Hamilton, 43, of Las Vegas — died.

The May 24 crash happened after Hamilton had an inflight emergency, and the plane crashed into a neighborhood, bursting into flames. Hamilton ejected shortly before the plane hit the ground. Hamilton, a retired U.S. Air Force pilot, was working for military contractor Draken International.

PP

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