Two killed after F-16, Cessna collide near Charleston

CHARLESTON, SC (AP) — 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.

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.

Aerial view of crash site of F-16 and small airplane that collided near Charleston. (Photo courtesy: WCIV)

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. 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.

The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement that collision happened around 11 a.m. Tuesday about 11 miles north of Charleston.

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