Two F-16 fighters collided Thursday about 8:30 p.m. over the Atlantic Ocean about 40 miles east of Folly Beach, S.C., according to a release from their home unit, the 20th Fighter Wing at Shaw AFB, S.C. One pilot managed to land his aircraft at Charleston AFB, S.C., but the second is still missing. The wing identified the missing pilot as Capt. Nicholas Giglio and the other pilot as Capt. Lee Bryant. The Coast Guard, Navy, and Charleston have engaged aircraft and ships in a search for the missing airman and his fighter. The Post and Courier reports that a Shaw spokesman said the two airmen were on a night training mission at the time of the accident. (First release from Shaw)
The U.K. and the U.S. will continue to enjoy access to the ports, airfield, and workshops at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean for at least another century, under a deal inked between the U.K. and Mauritius May 22.