AF Jet Crash Kills 1; Pilot Ejects Safely
One crew member ejected safely but another died when an Air Force F-4 Phantom II jet crashed Tuesday morning in the Mojave Desert five miles north of Boron, officials at Edwards Air Force Base said.
Capt. Douglas Moss, 32, of Cross Junction, Va., was uninjured after he ejected from the front seat of the two-seated fighter-bomber. He was examined and released at the base hospital.
Maj. Ronald Faris, 34, of Glendale died in the crash.
Daria Pauly, base spokeswoman, said she had no information on whether Faris died after ejecting or went down with the plane.
Cause of the accident is under investigation by a board of officers, Pauly said.
She said Moss and Faris were on a routine proficiency training flight when the accident occurred.
Moss is a test pilot based at Edwards; Faris was a flight engineer also based there.
Faris was a graduate of Burbank High School and the U.S. Air Force Academy’s class of 1973. He is survived by his wife, Judith, and two daughters.
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