WCBD – MONCKS CORNER, NC (WCBD) - Officials say an F-16 fighter jet collided with a Cessna over South Carolina, killing two people aboard the smaller plane. The Air Force pilot ejected safely, however.
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National Transportation Safety Board spokesman Peter Knudson confirmed Tuesday afternoon that two people were in the Cessna. Both were killed, and he says the Cessna was destroyed.
Knudson says the pilot of the F-16 ejected and "is apparently uninjured." He says there are not yet any details on what caused the collision or where the planes were traveling.
Lt. Jenny Hyden, a spokeswoman for Shaw Air Force Base in Sumter, said earlier in the day that the pilot was taken to the base for observation.
News 2 has confirmed with Berkeley County spokesperson Michael Mule that at approximately 11:03 a.m. on Tuesday, July 7, there was a plane crash near Lewisfield Plantation in Moncks Corner. Berkeley County officials have confirmed that the pilot of the military aircraft (F-16) ejected safely and has been transported by Berkeley County EMS to the hospital.
Maj. Morshe Araujo, a spokeswoman at Air Force headquarters at the Pentagon, says the F-16 originated from Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina. Araujo says the pilot of the jet, which collided with a Cessna, ejected safely.
Officials have confirmed the identity of the F-16 pilot as Air Force Major Aaron Johnson. Lt. Jenny Hyden at Shaw Air Force Base says Johnson was taken to the base for observation, though she did not disclose his condition.
The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement that collision happened around 11 a.m. Tuesday about 11 miles north of Charleston. The investigation will be turned over to the United States Air Force. Officials have not identified the Cessna plane. Authorities say the military aircraft struck the side of the smaller aircraft.
Berkeley County has confirmed there is debris scattered over rice field at Lewisfield Plantation. If you find debris, do not touch it, please call 9-1-1 so that authorities can collect it for evidence.
There will be another press conference at 5 p.m.
A witness said he saw two planes collide in the air and saw a huge explosion, describing it as a "ball of fire in the air."
(The Associated Press contributed to this story)