iminor@dailypress.net
Wisconsin Air National Guard/VIRN photo
Capt. Durwood Hawk Jones, 37, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, pictured here with his family, lost his life during an F-16 crash in Michigan s Upper Peninsula Dec. 8.
MADISON, Wis. The Wisconsin Air National Guard released the name Friday of a fighter pilot who was killed Tuesday when the F-16 he was flying crashed in the Hiawatha National Forest and commended both the Delta County Sheriff’s Office and the Michigan State Police for their assistance handling the tragedy.
Air Force Capt. Durwood “Hawk” Jones, 37, of Albuquerque, N.M., was identified as the pilot Friday afternoon, following a mandatory 24-hour waiting period after the notification of next of kin that is required by the Department of Defense. Jones is survived his wife and two children.
rspitza@miningjournal.net
Capt. Durwood “Hawk” Jones, 37, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, pictured here with his family, lost his life during an F-16 crash in the Upper Peninsula on Tuesday. (Photo courtesy the Wisconsin National Guard)
MADISON, Wis. The pilot who died in an F-16 crash in the Hiawatha National Forest during an evening training flight on Tuesday was identified on Friday by the Wisconsin Air National Guard’s 115th Fighter Wing as Air Force Capt. Durwood “Hawk” Jones, 37, of Albuquerque, New Mexico. He is survived by his wife and two children, officials said.
The cause of the accident remains under investigation, said Col. Bart Van Roo, the 115th Fighter Wing commander, in a news release from the Wisconsin Air National Guard.
Van Roo said Friday the 115th Fighter Wing has temporarily suspended its regular flying operations.
The crash was reported at about 8 p.m. Tuesday and emergency responders did not locate Jones body until Thursday.
At the press conference Friday, Van Roo declined to provide any details on the crash or what preceded it, citing an open investigation. He also declined to say whether Jones ejected himself from the aircraft prior to the crash.
It may take more than a year to determine the cause of the crash, Van Roo said.
In 1995, a similar jet from Madison crashed on a wooded hilltop after its engine failed and the pilot safely ejected.
Wisconsin Air National Guard IDs pilot killed in F-16 crash December 11, 2020 Capt. Durwood “Hawk” Jones, 37, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, lost his life in an F-16 crash in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula Dec. 8. (Wisconsin Air National Guard photo). The Wisconsin Air Natonal Guard identified the pilot killed in an F-16 Fighting Falcon crash on Tuesday. Capt. Durwood “Hawk” Jones, 37, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, lost his life when his F-16 crashed in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula Dec. 8, according to a post on the wing’s Facebook page. Jones joined the Air National Guard in 2011 and graduated from F-16 basic qualification training in 2015, according to the post. He is a decorated combat veteran, deploying as a part of a United States Pacific Command Theater Support Package to Japan in 2015 and to Korea in 2017. He deployed again in support of Operation Freedom’s Sentinel to Afghanistan in 2019.
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