Deadly F-15D fighter crash blamed on pilot error, aircraft anomalies
Pilot error coupled with "aircraft anomalies" sent an F-15D Eagle into a violent spin during an air combat training exercise, causing the July 30 crash of the two-seat fighter jet on Nellis Air Force Range that killed Lt. Col. Thomas Bouley, the leader of an Air Force investigation team said today.
A British Royal Air Force flight lieutenant in the back seat, who investigators didn't identify by name, barely escaped death by ejecting about 740 feet above ground.
Bouley's seat, however, didn’t release until the out-of-control plane was 586 feet above ground, beyond the specifications for survival, said Brig. Gen. Robert Otto, president of the accident investigation board.
Contact reporter Keith Rogers at krogers@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0308.
