Pilots OK, TFR enacted around crash site due to live ordnance

An Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle fighter on a military training mission crashed Thursday near Roanoke, Virginia. The aircraft narrowly missed crashing at the Franklin County Speedway. The second aircraft in the flight of two F-15E's returned to base safely.

Investigators say the F-15 was carrying explosives and nearby residents were evacuated from their homes as a precaution. The pilots, Capt. Darren P. Wees and weapons systems officer Capt. Daniel C. Spier, both of the 4th Fighter Wing, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C. were able to parachute to safety. The cause of the crash is under investigation, and reports point to a possible bird strike as the cause of the accident.

The majority of the airframe landed some 200 yards from homes near Callaway (VA). Some larger pieces were found in the back yard of at least one of the homes. The pilots were taken to the hospital as a precaution, after a witness to the crash assisted in rescuing them out of trees at the crash site.

TFR 4/4006 has been established over the crash site due to the live ordnance. The TFR information is available in today's issue.

FMI: http://www.airforcetimes.com/story.php?f=1-292925-2897271.php, http://tfr.faa.gov/tfr/jsp/save_pages/notam_print_4_4006.html