F-16 Crash

[SMR]

Air Force Capt. Eric Ziegler, the pilot of an F-16C fighter jet, died when the jet crashed Tuesday on public land near the Nevada Test and Training Range, Nellis Air Force Base officials said Thursday.

Conclusive evidence from the crash site confirmed the pilot did not survive when it slammed into the rugged terrain, 20 miles west of Caliente in Lincoln County.

While pathology tests continue, "based on evidence recovered from the crash site and after extensive aerial and ground search efforts, we know that the pilot did not eject from the aircraft prior to the impact," Brig. Gen. T.J. O'Shaughnessy, commander of the 57th Wing at Nellis, said in an announcement Thursday.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the pilot's immediate family, Air Force family, and friends during this difficult time."

http://www.lvrj.com/news/evidence-confirms-f-16-pilot-did-not-eject-before-crash-124786914.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

[SgtJim]

Thanks for the news SMR,
RIP Eric
---

more info:



The U.S. Air Force on Thursday said that according to evidence,
the pilot was unable to eject before the F-16 aircraft came down Tuesday evening in the state of Nevada.
According to Nellis Air Force Base officials, Captain Eric Ziegler, 30, died during the crash,
which involved an F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft that took off from the base and crashed at around 5:30 p.m. local time
within Nevada's military aerospace.

Ziegler took off from Nellis Air Force Base, which is located around 7.1 miles northeast of Las Vegas, Nevada,
and was conducting air-to-air combat exercises about 150 miles north of the city.
During the exercises, the aircraft crashed in an area some 20 miles west of Caliente in Nevada's Lincoln County,
the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.

After investigations, evidence showed that Ziegler, from West Fargo, North Dakota,
did not eject in time before the crash, Brigadier General T.J. O'Shaughnessy, commander of the 57th Wing at Nellis Air Force Base said,
adding that the aircraft were conducting a 'dogfight' exercise but were not equipped with live weaponry with an active locating device.

The U.S. Air Force had deployed three helicopters to conduct search and rescue efforts until Wednesday,
and authorities said investigations will continue in order to determine the cause of the crash.
The incident occurred within the 12,000-square-mile military airspace of the the Nevada Test that surrounds the 3-million-acre Training Range,
including 5,000 square miles over public land, Nellis Air Force Base spokesman Chuck Ramey had previously stated.

Zeigler was a high school football standout before graduating from West Fargo High School.
He helped the team win the state championship in 1999. He later graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 2003.
He is survived by his wife, Sarah, who works for the Air Force in Las Vegas, and 9-month-old daughter, Anna,
according to The Forum newspaper of Fargo-Moorhead.

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Capt. Eric Ziegler