US Navy QF-4 crashes killing 2

http://www.cnn.com/2002/US/04/20/air.show.crash/index.html

The jet’s pilot and co-pilot died in the incident, said spokeswoman Sarah Burford. Their names were being withheld pending notification of next of kin.

The QF-4 Phantom II went down at 12:20 p.m. (3:20 p.m. EDT) at the 2002 Mugu Air Show, a three-day event that began Friday at the Naval Base Ventura County, said Vance Vasquez, a Navy spokesman.

The base is about 50 miles north-northwest of Los Angeles.

The jet was the last aircraft to peel off from a four-plane formation. As it began reversing direction, two flashes appeared near the engines and the fighter began to waver.

One of the crew members ejected, falling directly into the ball of fire caused by the crashing plane. Spectators gasped as the jet hit the ground.

“Watching this whole thing, before the plane hit, just knowing it was going down — just amazing,” said Don Dzukola, an air show fan from San Luis Obispo, California.

Authorities cancelled the rest of Saturday’s air show events following the crash, but the show will go on as scheduled Sunday, Vasquez said.

The QF-4 Phantom II, which can fly both with crew and unmanned, was performing with three other aircraft as part of the show.

Structurally similar to an F-4 fighter jet, the Phantom primarily acts as a target for testing air-to-air and surface-to-air missiles. It is also used to monitor the flight of Tomahawk cruise missiles during test missions.