An F-16 Viper taking off on a training mission out of Luke AFB, Ariz., crashed near Phoenix Tuesday at 9:51 a.m., according to Air Force officials. The pilot, Capt. Jason Attaway, 26, of Dallas, ejected safely. Attaway, with the 62nd Fighter Squadron at Luke, had just taken off for a routine training flight and, within two miles of Luke, the F-16 crashed.
Air Force depots are not typically meant for quick repair jobs, but during Operation Epic Fury, the service moved some of its stateside heavy maintenance capability forward to fix battle-damaged aircraft closer to the fight.
