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Fighter plane disappears off Japan

Copyright ) 1999 Nando Media Copyright ) 1999 Associated Press

From Time to Time: Nando's in-depth look at the 20th century.

TOKYO (August 15, 1999 11:18 a.m. EDT http://www.nandotimes.com) - A Japanese fighter jet that had been sent to intercept an unidentified plane off the southern coast of the island nation was missing Sunday, the Defense Agency said Sunday.

The jet was one of two F-4EJ fighters dispatched early Sunday from an air base in Nyutabaru after an unidentified plane was spotted by radar, the agency said.

The aircraft, manned by two crew members, lost radio contact with its consort plane at 5:15 a.m. about 50 miles off Fukue Island and remained missing Sunday evening, agency spokesman Isoji Ikeda said. The island is about 680 miles from Tokyo off the coast of Kyushu, Japan's southernmost main island.

Visibility was low and the weather was bad when the jet disappeared, the agency said.

The crew had not made visual contact with the plane before they disappeared and did not confirm the nationality or type of aircraft, the spokesman said. The agency had no information on the origin of the plane that the pair of jets had gone to intercept, the spokesman said.

-- Its (All@Conspiracy.com), August 15, 1999

Answers

http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/19990815/wl/japan_missing_fighter_1.ht ml

-- Its (All@Conspiracy.com), August 15, 1999.

Could be the same thing that happened to JFK, Jr. "visibility was low and weather was bad when the jet disappeared." It's anyone's guess.

-- need the facts (needthefacts@needthefactss.com), August 15, 1999.

Except that ALL military pilots are instrument rated.

-- (exusaf@fly.guv), August 16, 1999.

Excuse me...but the subject line matches nothing in the posted article.

"...Shot Down..." and "Taiwan Straits?"

Question marks are great cover, aren't they?

Is "It's" a complete idiot?

Enquiring minds already know.

-- PNG (Peter Gauthier) (png@gol.com), August 16, 1999.