F-35A Lightning II test aircraft assigned to the 31st Test Evaluation Squadron from Edwards Air Force Base, California, released AIM-120 AMRAAM and AIM-9X missiles at QF-16 targets during a live-fire test over an Air Force range in the Gulf of Mexico on June 12, 2018. The Joint Operational Test Team conducted the missions as part of Block 3F Initial Operational Test and Evaluation.
Jones awards include two Air Medals with combat C devices.
During a press conference Friday, 115th Fighter Wing commander Col. Bart Van Roo said he has suspended flight operations at the wing indefinitely amid the ongoing investigation into the cause of the crash. It is grounded based on what we determine to be a safe time for us to fly again, Van Roo said.
Determining the causes of the crash and other contributing factors could take months, Van Roo said, according to the Wisconsin State Journal.
Jones F-16 crashed around 8 p.m. Tuesday in the Hiawatha National Forest, roughly 300 miles northeast of the base, during a routine night training mission. The wing had planned to conduct night drills Monday through Thursday, according to unit announcements.
Pilot Dies in Michigan F-16 Fighter Jet Crash
Wisconsin Air National Guard, F-16 Fighting Falcon preforms practice missions using an inert, 500 pound bomb at Fort McCoy, Wis., July 13, 2016. (U.S. Army/Spc. John Russell)
10 Dec 2020
The pilot of an F-16 Fighting Falcon that crashed earlier this week in Michigan s Upper Peninsula has been found dead, the Air National Guard announced Thursday.
The aircraft, assigned to the Wisconsin Air National Guard s 115th Fighter Wing, out of Truax Field Air National Guard Base in Madison, crashed around 8 p.m. Tuesday in the Hiawatha National Forest, roughly 300 miles northeast of the base, officials said in a Facebook post.