Navy Missile Downs Plane--One of Ours
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NAPLES, Italy — A U.S. Navy fighter plane accidentally fired an air-to-air missile and shot down an Air Force reconnaissance aircraft during maneuvers in the Mediterranean, the Fleet Air Mediterranean Command reported today. No one was hurt.
The two-man crew of the downed plane--Capt. Michael Ross of Portsmouth, N.H., and 1st Lt. Randy Spouse of Sumter, S.C.--ejected safely and were picked up at sea by a U.S. 6th Fleet helicopter within 30 minutes, a command spokesman said.
The spokesman said the accident happened in the Mediterranean on Tuesday during a NATO exercise code-named Display Determination.
The spokesman said it appeared that the missile, a Sidewinder, had been fired accidentally.
The Air Force reconnaissance plane was attached to the 26th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing from Zweibruecken Air Base in West Germany. The Navy plane is attached to Fighter Squadron 74 based in Oceana, Va., and deployed on the Saratoga, like the SH-3H helicopter that made the rescue.
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