Bahrain US Navy Fighter Jet Crashes

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CNN

U.S. navy fighter jet crashes in Saudi desert

MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) -- A U.S. Navy fighter jet crashed Wednesday in the Saudi Arabian desert during a routine training exercise, the Bahrain-based U.S. 5th Fleet said in a statement.

The pilot and a navy flight officer ejected to safety from the two-seater F-14 Tomcat, the statement said. It did not name the crew or give the precise location of the crash.

Both men were recovered in good health and have been transported by helicopter to the Taif Air Base in western Saudi Arabia, the statement said.

The pilot is assigned to Fighter Squadron 11, which is one of two F-14 squadrons attached to Carrier Air Wing SEVEN.

The navy flight officer is assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower currently operating in the Red Sea.

The incident, which occurred shortly after 10 a.m. (0700 GMT) Wednesday, is under investigation, the statement said without elaborating.

-- Rachel Gibson (rgibson@hotmail.com), July 26, 2000


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