July 07--An F-16 military plane collided mid-air with a small plane near Charleston, S.C., on Tuesday morning, leaving two people dead, federal officials confirmed.
A Cessna C-150 plane and the F-16 fighter plane crashed about 11 miles north of Charleston, according to a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration.
Two people traveling in the Cessna were killed, according to Peter Knudson, a spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board. No other details about their identities were immediately available. It was unclear whether authorities have recovered the victims' bodies.
The pilot of the F-16 ejected safely and was taken to a local hospital, officials said at a news conference. Shaw Air Force Base identified him as Maj. Aaron Johnson of the 20th Fighter Wing's 55th Fighter Squadron.
The crash was reported about 11:03 a.m., Berkeley County officials said. County spokesman Michael Mule told The Times the incident occurred above Lewisfield Plantation, a historic plantation home in Berkeley County.
Cliff Cannon, a local resident, told The Times that he was driving when he noticed a flash in the air, and then black smoke.
"I looked up, and I saw an explosion," Cannon, 61, said in a phone interview. Cannon said he saw another plane flying past where he'd spotted the black smoke but didn't realize at the time that it had been involved in a crash.
"I could see debris falling where the black smoke was, but I couldn't tell from that distance what size," he said. Seconds later, he said, police cars and emergency workers raced past him.
Parts of the private plane were scattered "over a large area," one county official told reporters, including in a rice field.
Officials did not confirm the location of the F-16.
Authorities have set up a command post for the incident at a shopping center in Moncks Corner, S.C., about 30 miles north of Charleston.
The NTSB is investigating, officials said.
For more breaking news, follow me @cmaiduc
UPDATES
2:07 p.m.: This story was updated with the F-16 pilot's identity.
1:57 p.m.: This story was updated with the deaths of two people aboard the Cessna.
11:19 a.m.: This story was updated with details from an eyewitness.
10:39 a.m.: This story was updated with details about the condition of the F-16 pilot.
The first version of this story was published at 9:31 a.m.
