US F-15 Eagle Crashes In Middle East, Crew Ejects Safely

A U.S. military aircraft F-15 Eagle performs during a demonstration flight at the MAKS-2011, the International Aviation and Space Show in Zhukovsky, outside Moscow, Russia, Sunday, Aug. 21, 2011. (AP Photo/Mikhail Metzel)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A U.S. Air Force F-15E fighter crashed Thursday during a routine training mission in the Middle East, but investigators have ruled out insurgent activity as a cause, the military said. Both crew members ejected safely.

The Air Force said that the crash happened in southwest Asia, a broad term that includes the Persian Gulf region.

A statement said rescuers made their way to the scene of the crash, and the cause of the accident was being investigated.

"We can say that it was not due to any hostile fire or insurgent activity," said Air Force spokesman Maj. James Bressendorff.

The Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho said the crew was stationed there.

"We are extremely grateful that our Gunfighters are safe," said Col. Bruce Smith, 366th Fighter Wing Vice Commander, in a statement Thursday. "However, we are confident that this incident will be fully investigated."

He did not identify the crew members.

The F-15 entered service in the 1970s. The Air Force got its first F-15E Strike Eagle version of the fighter in 1988.

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Comments

[Mooon]

04:03 PM on 05/08/2012

That's the 2nd F-15 crash in a week! Just a few days earlier, an F-15 crashed in Saudi Arabia in the latest of a series of crashes of F-15s in the region. This news update by Middle East Strategic Perspectives lists all the accidents that occurred over the past year, and that's just in the Gulf region: http://www.mestrategicperspectives.com/2012/05/05/f-15-misfortunes-in-the-gulf/

[banker67]

09:12 PM on 05/05/2012

Nice video.
Zero airplane footage, two full ads for some fool food company.
Journalism!

[oldgeek1]

02:58 PM on 05/05/2012

The fight over Drones will continue. The Air Force will fight to keep pilots and politicians to keep air bases and the Navy large Carriers. The large Defense Contractors want to keep expensive manned air craft, politics and jobs and protecting the status quo.

[krocklin]

10:41 AM on 05/05/2012

I see the future littered with Chernobyls everywhere.

[FlyboyDave]

10:26 PM on 05/05/2012

I see dead people.

[Dosadi]

07:35 PM on 05/04/2012

Training mission?

Maybe we need to train here and fight there?

Or maybe we need to find out what is wrong with our superior aircraft.

F-15's fall out of the sky far too often.

And the F-22? I don't know where to start on an airplane that cannot deliver oxygen to the pilot but we are told it can deliver deadly munitions anywhere we want them to go.

Priorities are way out of whack on that one.

[GoodwithWood]

09:15 PM on 05/04/2012

The F-22 has more parts and gadgets, therefore more stuff to break.

[Dosadi]

09:44 PM on 05/04/2012

True dat! But we mastered oxygen delivery systems 75 years ago. But now we can't seem to figure out how to do it.

[LunaPark]

12:56 PM on 05/05/2012

The F-35 is costing 1.5 trillion, and referred to as the flying piano. It can't perform as well as what we currently have, yet it's sucking down 38% of the pentagon budget. Why won't they put a stop to it?

[FlyboyDave]

10:28 PM on 05/05/2012

I say give it a chance. The V22 Osprey was fraught with terrible problems, but has since been proven very useful.

[Dosadi]

06:22 PM on 05/07/2012

They can't. The Military Industrial Complex that president Eisenhower warned us about is in charge. They tell out elected officials how much to spend and on what. Our officials don't have a clue. They are forced to believe any lie the MIC tells them. Remember the Iraq has WMD lie? That was all the doing of the Military Industrial Complex.

[american-dolt]

04:29 PM on 05/04/2012

Flushing Money down the Toilet would have a more Positive Outcome than this Damn War.

[ussuri]

01:49 PM on 05/04/2012

who the heck we need to bomb so bad there ?

we should spend the money on public works, health & EDUCATION of ignorants rather then spend $ 2 BILLION @ DAY on military.

[Arthur Spooner]

11:05 AM on 05/04/2012

That's the 2nd jet in a month, it's GOT TO BE THE FAULT OF THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION. Friday Snark. Have a great weekend!

[wishescometrue]

01:12 PM on 05/04/2012

but of Course, (sarcasm font please.)

[authorized-user]

10:40 AM on 05/04/2012

Glad the crew is OK, we have lots of F15's for them.

[ussuri]

01:51 PM on 05/04/2012

I guess we have money( $ 2 BILLIONS @ day) to waste .

[authorized-user]

02:34 PM on 05/04/2012

Chump change, look at how much we dump into the banks every day.

[Roxxi Raxx]

08:04 AM on 05/04/2012

Gunfighters? Is that what they are calling plane drivers these days? What's next: Table Top Belly Dancers?

[realitytrumpsbull]

08:44 AM on 05/05/2012

Where? (brandishes fistful of dollars)

[June25]

07:18 PM on 05/05/2012

That moniker was allready taken in the 90s by White House inters.

[psandysdad]

06:48 AM on 05/04/2012

"F-15 superexpensive aerial weapons platform crashes. We aren't saying why and we're not telling where. Crew safe."

[nifepartie]

04:16 AM on 05/04/2012

You would think Tony Stark would be more careful after the first time!

[realitytrumpsbull]

08:44 AM on 05/05/2012

LOL "well, technically, he hit ME, so..."

[ShroudedSciuridae]

02:15 AM on 05/04/2012

Goose, noooooo!

[mortonrchrd]

07:11 AM on 05/04/2012

Always love a Road Warrior Reference !

[ShroudedSciuridae]

11:05 AM on 05/04/2012

Top Gun, actually.

[iam99]

01:53 AM on 05/04/2012

At least it wasn't the expensive F22 (that Norman Goldman earlier today had said cost about $412 million each after all of the r&d was figured-in, as I recall.) The plane that experienced pilots refuse to fly because of the host of problems associated with it. How much is F-15 with the r&d included?

[caseyjosh]

06:13 AM on 05/04/2012

F-15E cost $31.1 million in 1998 that's $42.23 million today.

Program cost US$36.7 billion for all 1198 F-15A/B/C/D/J/DJ/E but I don't think if this is a adjusted figure

[realitytrumpsbull]

08:45 AM on 05/05/2012

Question is, 'did something important fall off/break due to age'? Or, worse, sabotage?

[No Dogma Freedom]

12:21 AM on 05/04/2012

Than, we have the reality of War birds in the air in hot area - the preparation for war