An accident investigation board has determined that spatial disorientation led to the death of Maj. Gregory Young in the F-15A crash off the coast of Arch Cape, Ore., on June 27. According to an Air Combat Command statement, Young, an Air National Guard pilot with the 142nd Fighter Wing at Portland Airport in Oregon, was flying a dissimilar air combat training mission with F/A-18s from NAS Fort Worth, Tex., when he became disoriented and misinterpreted his position in flight.
The U.S. military is maintaining a beefed-up presence in the Middle East, including fighters and air defense assets, following the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities June 22 and subsequent retaliation by the Iranians against Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
