Witnesses Said He Tried To Save The Airplane Before Ejecting

The pilot of the Number 6 Thunderbird that went down last Thursday during graduation ceremonies at the Air Force Academy is being praised by his peers for exceptional piloting skills during the accident sequence.

The Air Force Times reports that Maj. Alex Turner, who was flying the plane, has been released following a medical checkup.

Former Thunderbirds commander John "JV" Venable said that Maj. Turner "did everything he could to save the airplane, but when he couldn't, he put the airplane in the position where it could glide. It's why the airplane looks so extraordinarily intact following this mishap.

According to the report, Turner likely got a warning that something was wrong with the F-16, and Venable said what he likely did was "zoom his aircraft up and began to try to restart the motor." The climb gave him an opportunity to set up the airplane for best glide but could not make it back to the runway, so he turned towards an open field south of Colorado Springs and then ejected.

Air Force Officials are continuing to investigate the accident, and it is possible that the airplane ingested a bird which caused the engine to fail.

A Thunderbirds spokesman told the Air Force Times that the team will not be flying for some time while the accident is investigated. He did not say when the team would restart their performance schedule.

(Image from file)

FMI: www.af.mil