Wed, May 26, 2021
Contractor Owned/Flown Mirage F1 Goes Down On Takeoff
A commercially owned and operated Mirage F1 aircraft has been involved in a fatal accident shortly after departure from Nellis Air Force Base, near Las Vegas, Nevada.
Provided to the US Air Force by Draken International, the aircraft's pilot, identified as 43-year-old Nicholas Hunter Hamilton was confirmed to have perished in the accident by the local coroner. The accident took place at approximately 1430, Monday, outside the southern edge of the base -- with the aircraft reportedly carrying the callsign of SNIPER01.
Draken reportedly operates over twenty of the aircraft type involved, in addition to several others in their inventory. The vehicle has an extensive pedigree... introduced as the Dassault Mirage F1 -- which flew some 54 years ago at the end of 1966. Many of these aircraft are used to perform simulated adversary roles for US allied military operations.
Draken, which provides a number of services to military organizations noted the accident by stating, “Draken has received news of a downed aircraft out of Nellis AFB and the tragic loss of one of our pilots. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the people and families affected by this event. We are doing everything in our power to assist them in this time of need, and we are working closely with federal, state and local authorities. Draken US is also cooperating with investigating agencies to determine what led to this tragic accident.”
Little is known or has been confirmed as regards to the circumstances or potential causes of the accident.
Draken International is based in Lakeland Florida.
More News
An Amazing Experience Awaits The Chosen Few... Oshkosh, to us, seems the perfect place to get started on watching aviation recover the past couple of years... and so ANN is putting>[...]
“NBAA has a tremendous responsibility to the business aviation industry, and we are constantly collaborating with them. Our flight departments, professionals and aircraft own>[...]
Dead Reckoning Dead reckoning, as applied to flying, is the navigation of an airplane solely by means of computations based on airspeed, course, heading, wind direction, and speed,>[...]
Aero Linx: Vertical Aviation Safety Team (VAST) We are a public–private initiative to enhance worldwide flight operations safety in all segments of the vertical flight indust>[...]
We're Everywhere... Thanks To You! Even with the vast resources and incredibly far-reaching scope of the Aero-News Network, every now and then a story that should be reported on sl>[...]