NATIONAL BRIEFING / SOUTH CAROLINA
Air Force officials say that a missing fighter pilot probably died instantly when his jet collided with another plane over the Atlantic Ocean.
Authorities called off the search for Capt. Nicholas Giglio, who had been missing since Thursday night’s crash.
Air Force Col. Joe Guastella said experts analyzed data from the second plane, which landed safely, and interviewed the surviving pilot to determine Giglio’s fate.
The colonel said investigators believe that parts on the bottom of the second plane pierced the canopy of Giglio’s plane when they collided about 30 miles northeast of Charleston.
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