Wreckage, Bodies Discovered In GA Woods

Authorities searching for a missing Navy T-39 Sabreliner found the wreckage of the plane Wednesday night, using thermal cameras to locate where the training jet went down in southern Walker County, Georgia. There were no survivors reported among the four crewmembers onboard.

As was reported Wednesday in Aero-News, the aging twinjet -- piloted by a civilian contract pilot, with a Naval instructor and one Navy and one Air Force student onboard -- departed Chattanooga, TN at 11 am Wednesday morning, en route to Pensacola NAS on a navigational training flight. The Sabreliner was reported missing after it missed it's scheduled arrival time at Pensacola.

The last contact with the aircraft came during a routine ATC handoff at 11:20, according to media reports. Officials believe the crew then began a series of practice bombing runs, flying between 500 and 1000 feet AGL.

"They are practicing running at a low level to a target and dropping the bombs," said Captain Lee Little, a pilot in charge of Training Wing 6 based at Pensacola, to the Rome (GA) News-Tribune. "We don’t carry bombs on these aircraft, but they are simulating what they would be doing in a tactical aircraft."

Officials stated the aircraft's emergency locator transmitter had not activated. It is not known why.

County authorities were awaiting DoD officials to arrive, to take over the accident scene.

"This is a federal park and it’s a federal plane, so it will be their case. We are maintaining security until they get here," said Walker County Sheriff Steve Wilson.

FMI: www.navy.mil