F-16 fighter jets roared across the sky Thursday morning causing some residents to wonder if there was an impending state of emergency. The Cape Cod Times is reporting that two of the jets were deployed from South Carolina and experienced engine trouble en route to Afghanistan. The pilots of the two F-16s landed safely at Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod along with two other pilots.
Click here to see the US Air Force F-16 fact sheet.The
jets were part of a more than a dozen that took off from McEntire Joint
National Guard Base in South Carolina early this morning. The F-16
fighter pilots were headed to Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring
Freedom, according to WIS-TV 10.
The fighter pilots will join fellow members of the 169th fighter wing
in Afghanistan where they will provide air support for the 400 soldiers
already stationed there.
Apr 12, 2012 by satellitenewsservice
Apr 12, 2012 by satellitenewsservice
AIR STATION CAPE COD -- Two F-16 jets
from a South Carolina National Guard unit on a deployment to Afghanistan
made emergency landings this morning at Coast Guard Air Station Cape
Cod, officials said.
The two jets had engine problems and were accompanied by second and fourth jets that also landed safely, Coast Guard Capt. David Throop said.
"Everyone is down safely on the ground," Throop said.
The second jet with an apparent emergency landed at about 9:03 this morning. The other emergency landing was more than an hour earlier.
The Massachusetts Military Reservation Fire Department responded to the scene, Throop said.
The jets were on their way to Afghanistan from South Carolina on a deployment, according to a spokesman with the 169th Fighter Wing of the South Carolina National Guard. The jets are now being checked and crews interviewed about why the pilots were concerned with the planes.
Fighter jets, once a common sight and sound over the skies of Cape Cod, created a stir this morning as they flew over Falmouth, Sandwich and Mashpee. Several people called the Times newsroom asking if there was some emergency they should know about.
The jets seemed to linger in the air over the Cape, which Coast Guard Capt. Jack Newby explained was a precaution. Jets burn off most of their fuel before landing, he said.
The emergency created no disruption of Coast Guard activities, Newby said, because there is a second runway at the base airport.
The two jets had engine problems and were accompanied by second and fourth jets that also landed safely, Coast Guard Capt. David Throop said.
"Everyone is down safely on the ground," Throop said.
The second jet with an apparent emergency landed at about 9:03 this morning. The other emergency landing was more than an hour earlier.
The Massachusetts Military Reservation Fire Department responded to the scene, Throop said.
The jets were on their way to Afghanistan from South Carolina on a deployment, according to a spokesman with the 169th Fighter Wing of the South Carolina National Guard. The jets are now being checked and crews interviewed about why the pilots were concerned with the planes.
Fighter jets, once a common sight and sound over the skies of Cape Cod, created a stir this morning as they flew over Falmouth, Sandwich and Mashpee. Several people called the Times newsroom asking if there was some emergency they should know about.
The jets seemed to linger in the air over the Cape, which Coast Guard Capt. Jack Newby explained was a precaution. Jets burn off most of their fuel before landing, he said.
The emergency created no disruption of Coast Guard activities, Newby said, because there is a second runway at the base airport.
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