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On Thursday morning, when a fighter jet came screaming in to an impact near the residential community of Buckeye, Arizona, the locals were astounded to learn that it wasn’t being flown by the military. The good news is that the pilot is safe and nobody was harmed on the ground.
Fighter jet training
Luke Air Force Base near Phoenix, Arizona is a busy base of operations for student fighter jet pilots. They train in all the latest models.
On Thursday, February 10, they had a little schoolroom mishap leaving local residents surprised to learn that the F-1 Mirage didn’t belong to Uncle Sam.
“At approximately 11:11 a.m. today, during a routine training mission, a contracted Mirage F-1 fighter aircraft operating out of Luke Air Force Base crashed 15 miles northwest of the base in an unpopulated area.”
The base spokesperson was happy to explain that the “pilot was able to safely eject.” Obviously, the “cause of the incident is under investigation.”
Breaking : military aircraft crashes in Desert in Buckeye, pilot reportedly ejected before the crash and is safe. Crash debris strewn across the desert. Waiting for an update from military police/Luke Air Force Base #fox10phoenix pic.twitter.com/BBj16DLMBG
— Nicole Garcia Fox10 (@Fox10_NicoleG) February 10, 2022
As soon as the fighter jet cratered in the desert, “support teams from the 56th Civil Engineer Squadron fire department, 56th CES explosive ordnance disposal unit, and 56th Security Forces Squadron arrived on the scene.” It was a terrible day for rabbits, lizards, and rattlesnakes.
A local reporter was soon on the scene to tweet out the breaking news. She got some good video of the wreckage.
Airborne Tactical Advantage
Brigadier General Gregory Kreuder was first to make an official statement noting, as Commander of the 56th Fighter Wing, that their “Airmen and partners are our most important resource and we are committed to conducting our mission to train the world’s greatest fighter pilots as safely as possible.”
It seems they were probably doing some practice “dogfighting” and the F-1 came out of it badly. “I’m grateful nobody was hurt on the ground and the pilot was safely recovered with only minor injuries.”
The owner of the downed jet also gave a statement to the media. Airborne Tactical Advantage Company told reporters Thursday, “today, an ATAC Mirage F-1 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.” They too are “investigating the incident and will work with relevant authorities to determine the cause and take any remedial action that is necessary.”
The want to assure the public that fighter jets won’t be falling out of the sky on a regular basis. “We ask for your understanding as we work through all the details of this investigation. ATAC will provide more information as it becomes available.”
Besides getting young pilots ready to go to war against France and their Mirage F-1, ATAC supplies the base with “a variety” of aircraft to chase around. “including Mk-58 Hawker Hunter, Israeli F-21 Kfir, A-4 Skyhawk, L-39 Albatros II.” They supply veteran pilots and use their “aircraft to train with active military aviators in the Air Force, Navy, Marines and Air National Guard, honing their tactical flight skills.“
