Air National Guard

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To Dodge Charges, He Fled US, Joined Russian Military

Wilmer Puello-Mota left the US days before trial in January

(Newser) - A former city councilor and member of the Massachusetts National Guard who fled the country in January, days before he was to be tried for child pornography in Rhode Island, has apparently defected to Russia and joined the military. Wilmer Puello-Mota, a former city councilor in Holyoke, Mass., was first...

'Concerns' Prompt Air Force to Probe Use of Secretive Planes

Aircraft were deployed over DC, Minneapolis protests

(Newser) - The Air Force says its inspector general is investigating the use of Air National Guard reconnaissance aircraft during protests in Minneapolis and Washington, DC. Air Force spokesman Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder says the investigation is being conducted after discussions about "shared concerns" with Defense Secretary Mark Esper. The investigation...

Fighter Jet Crashes Near Maryland Homes

Pilot ditched in nearby woods

(Newser) - A fighter pilot on a training mission ditched his jet in a wooded area Wednesday so that the plane would avoid crashing into a suburban Washington, DC, neighborhood, the military says. The F-16C, which military officials said was at least 30 years old and worth $20 million, went down about...

Military: F-15 Pilot Died in Virginia Crash

2-day search comes to sad end

(Newser) - The pilot of an F-15 jet that crashed this week in remote Virginia mountains was killed, military officials said yesterday, bringing to a sad end an exhaustive two-day search involving more than 100 local, state, and federal officials as well as volunteers. The Massachusetts Air National Guard pilot, whose identity...

F-15 Pilot Missing After Virginia Crash

Helicopters searching mountains through the night

(Newser) - A massive search effort is underway in the Virginia mountains for the pilot of an F-15 fighter jet that crashed in the area yesterday morning . A deep crater has been found at the crash site in Augusta County, and it's not clear whether the pilot managed to eject in...

Fighter Jet Crashes in Virginia Mountains

Pilot's fate still unknown

(Newser) - A Massachusetts Air National Guard F-15 fighter jet crashed this morning in the mountains of central Virginia, reports NBC29 . There is no sign of the pilot, who may have ejected before his plane crashed near the rural community of Deerfield; a state police helicopter has begun a search. The F-15...

Sailing Family Won't Be Charged for Baby's Rescue

Cost of rescue operation is not yet known

(Newser) - It took three federal agencies, a fixed-wing aircraft, a Navy warship, and scores of personnel (including four California Air National Guard members who parachuted into the water and swam to the boat) to rescue an ill baby girl and her family from their broken down sailboat 900 miles off the...

Cockpit Recorder No Help in Northwest Flight Probe
Cockpit Recorder No Help in Northwest Flight Probe
runaway plane
Oct 23, 2009 3:30 PM CDT

Cockpit Recorder No Help in Northwest Flight Probe

Device captures just half an hour; record of 78-minute gap lost

(Newser) - Because the aircraft has an old cockpit voice recorder, the world may never know why the pilots of Northwest Flight 188 lost contact with ground control for 78 minutes. The recorder on the Airbus A320 has a maximum memory of 30 minutes, after which it tapes over itself. So investigators...

Flight Attendant: 'I Have No Idea' When We're Landing
Flight Attendant: 'I Have No Idea' When We're Landing
runaway plane
Oct 23, 2009 10:42 AM CDT

Flight Attendant: 'I Have No Idea' When We're Landing

Investigation continues into errant Northwest flight

(Newser) - The passengers aboard the Northwest flight that overshot the Minneapolis airport by 150 miles—possibly while the pilots napped—didn't have a clue anything was amiss beyond a nagging sense that the flight was taking a long time. One tells the Star Tribune that he asked about it, and a...

Gregg Pulled In Profit on Air Force Base Earmark

No personal gain from earmarks, says senator

(Newser) - Barack Obama can be glad Sen. Judd Gregg, briefly nominated for commerce secretary, backed out. Today, the AP reports that Gregg invested heavily in efforts by his brother Cyrus to redevelop New Hampshire’s Pease Air Force Base, while earmarking federal dollars for the redevelopment. “These earmarks do not...

Rather's Suit Likely to Embarrass Bush

Documents may have been falsified, but Bush's National Guard record still spotty

(Newser) - Regardless of the outcome of former anchor Dan Rather's lawsuit against CBS for his firing over a George Bush National Guard story, one man is not going to be pleased: the president. The case is bound to revisit embarrassing charges that Bush received favorable treatment and dodged requirements serving in...

Big Sur Evacuated as Fires Rage

680 square miles scorched by wildfires

(Newser) - California residents have been ordered to evacuate the coastal resort Big Sur as wildfires rage in the hills above the town, USA Today reports. Ash rained on people as they packed cars before fleeing to safety. The Big Sur blaze is one of more than 1,100 wildfires in the...

F-15 Fleet Grounded After Crash
F-15 Fleet Grounded After Crash
Nov 6, 2007 4:00 AM CST

F-15 Fleet Grounded After Crash

Officials worry structural defect may have triggered accident

(Newser) - The US Air Force has grounded all 676 F-15 fighter jets after a plane flown by a member of the Missouri Air National Guard crashed last week during a training exercise. Investigators believe the crash may have been caused by a structural defect.  A pilot whose name was not...

13 Stories