2 Navy Jets Make It Back to Base After Midair Collision
Two Navy fighter jets collided Tuesday during a mock dogfight over the Atlantic Ocean, but their pilots managed to fly the heavily damaged jets safely back to their base.
The pilots escaped with minor cuts after their FA-18A Hornets collided at about 15,000 feet, 35 miles off the North Carolina coast, said Cmdr. Kevin Wensing, a Navy spokesman.
The high-speed collision tore the nosecone and canopy from one of the planes. The other lost 3 feet from the top of its left tail and 5 feet from its left wingtip.
Wensing said the planes, which must maintain a speed of at least 120 mph to avoid stalling, returned the 65 miles to Oceana Naval Air Station here at about 165 mph.
“They both did an outstanding job of recovering their aircraft and returning,” Wensing said. He declined to identify the pilots, who are assigned to a Naval Air Reserve squadron at Oceana.
Investigators were trying to determine which plane initiated the collision, the second this year involving Hornets.
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