2 Crewmen Killed in Crash Identified

Two U.S. Air Force jet aircraft crewmen killed while flying simulated combat missions on the sprawling Nellis Air Force Base gunnery range were identified Thursday as 1st Lt. Robert E. Boland Jr., the pilot, and Capt. James A. Gleason, weapons officer.

The Air Force said Boland, 25, of Columbus, Miss., and Gleason, 32, of Dayton, Ohio, were participating in an exercise staged out of Nellis Air Force Base when their plane crashed Wednesday afternoon about 60 miles southeast of Tonopah.

The cause of the crash is under investigation.

Air Force Maj. Victor Andrijauskas said the two officers were assigned to the 48th Tactical Fighter Wing at Lakenheath, England. They were at Nellis Air Force Base to participate in so-called Red Flag exercises held several times a year on the 3.5-million acre gunnery range.

Each exercise lasts six weeks and involves U.S. tactical air units from around the world, along with those from allied countries. The Royal Air Force is participating in the current exercise.

The participants fly bombing runs and engage in mock air-to-air combat in wartime scenarios. They attack simulated targets, including industrial complexes, pipelines and missile sites.