U.S. F-16 Fighter Jet on Iraq Mission Crashes
A U.S. F-16 fighter jet heading for a patrol over northern Iraq crashed in Turkey apparently due to engine problems. It was the first U.S. warplane to go down in more than 200,000 flights over the “no-fly” zones.
The pilot, Lt. Michael A. Nelson Jr., parachuted from the plane safely and was in good health at Incirlik Air Base in Turkey, said Maj. Scott Vadnais, spokesman for the allied patrols over northern Iraq.
The F-16 went down near the town of Diyarbakir, 60 miles from the Iraqi border, and U.S. officials said there was no hostile fire directed at it.
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