Aerosoul
06-15-2005, 07:56 PM
Military jet crashes into homes in Arizona
20 minutes ago
PHOENIX (*******) - A military jet on Wednesday crashed and plowed into two homes in Yuma, Arizona but there were no immediate reports of injuries or deaths, police and local officials said.
The Harrier attack jet went down in a neighborhood consisting of single-family homes at about 2:30 p.m. local time, Yuma police Lt. Mike Erfert told *******.
"At the moment we don't have any confirmed reports of any casualties or injuries," said city spokesman James Stover.
A spokesman for the Marine Corps Air Station in Yuma, Arizona, said the Harrier jet was stationed at the base, located near the U.S.-Mexican border about 160 miles southwest of Phoenix.
Stover cited media reports that the pilot of the single-seat jet had ejected from the aircraft but said those had not been confirmed.
Police, fire and military personnel were responding to the crash near the base, and the area was being evacuated. No further details were immediately available from the scene, Erfert said.
Harrier jets, also known as jump jets, are equipped with engines that swivel, allowing them to take off and land vertically.
The jets, which can carry laser-guided missiles, rockets and heavy bombs, have been used extensively by the Marines in Iraq.
The British-designed Harrier aircraft has been plagued by safety issues during the more than three decades it has been in use by the U.S. military. The plane's engine underwent a design overhaul in 2000 to address safety problems.
The Marine Corps base in Yuma is home to four squadrons of Harriers and is one of the principal sites for Marine pilot training.
A U.S. Marine pilot was killed in 1998 when his Harrier crashed during a routine training exercise at the Yuma base.
Article (http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20050615/us_nm/crash_arizona_dc)
20 minutes ago
PHOENIX (*******) - A military jet on Wednesday crashed and plowed into two homes in Yuma, Arizona but there were no immediate reports of injuries or deaths, police and local officials said.
The Harrier attack jet went down in a neighborhood consisting of single-family homes at about 2:30 p.m. local time, Yuma police Lt. Mike Erfert told *******.
"At the moment we don't have any confirmed reports of any casualties or injuries," said city spokesman James Stover.
A spokesman for the Marine Corps Air Station in Yuma, Arizona, said the Harrier jet was stationed at the base, located near the U.S.-Mexican border about 160 miles southwest of Phoenix.
Stover cited media reports that the pilot of the single-seat jet had ejected from the aircraft but said those had not been confirmed.
Police, fire and military personnel were responding to the crash near the base, and the area was being evacuated. No further details were immediately available from the scene, Erfert said.
Harrier jets, also known as jump jets, are equipped with engines that swivel, allowing them to take off and land vertically.
The jets, which can carry laser-guided missiles, rockets and heavy bombs, have been used extensively by the Marines in Iraq.
The British-designed Harrier aircraft has been plagued by safety issues during the more than three decades it has been in use by the U.S. military. The plane's engine underwent a design overhaul in 2000 to address safety problems.
The Marine Corps base in Yuma is home to four squadrons of Harriers and is one of the principal sites for Marine pilot training.
A U.S. Marine pilot was killed in 1998 when his Harrier crashed during a routine training exercise at the Yuma base.
Article (http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20050615/us_nm/crash_arizona_dc)