F-16 Fighter Fires At School In New Jersey

Shaun · 11-04-2004, 04:56 PM

F-16 Fighter Fires At School In New Jersey
Incident Happened On Training Mission

POSTED: 3:56 pm EST November 4, 2004
UPDATED: 5:27 pm EST November 4, 2004

LITTLE EGG HARBOR, N.J. -- A National Guard F-16 fighter jet on a nighttime training mission Wednesday fired 25 rounds of ammunition that tore through an intermediate school. No one was injured.

The military is investigating the incident that damaged Little Egg Harbor Intermediate School shortly after 11 p.m.

Police were called to the area when a custodian heard what sounded like someone running across the roof of the school. The custodian was the only person in the school at the time.

Police Chief Mark Siino on Thursday said police officers noticed punctures in the roof. Ceiling tiles had fallen into classrooms and there were scratch marks in the asphalt outside the building.

The 2-inch long bullets are made of lead and do not explode, said Col. Brian Webster, commander of the 177th Fighter Wing of the New Jersey Air National Guard.

It was unclear why the shots were fired, Webster said.

Pilot Fired From 7,000 Feet At School

New Jersey public schools were closed Thursday because of a teachers convention. The Ocean County school is scheduled to reopen Monday.

The pilot of the single-seat jet was supposed to fire at a target on the ground three and half miles away from school on the Warren Grove firing range, Webster said.

The military firing range covers parts of Little Egg Harbor, Bass River and Woodland townships in the southern part of the state.

"We don't know what happened that caused the gun to fire," Webster said.

The plane was 7,000 feet in the air when the shots were fired. The gun, an M61-A1 Vulcan cannon, is located in the plane's left wing.

"The National Guard takes this situation very seriously," said Lt. Col. Roberta Niedt, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. "The safety of our people and the surrounding communities are our foremost concern."

The jet that fired the rounds was assigned to the 113th Wing located at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland. The fighter jet returned there after firing the shots, Webster said.

Webster would not identify the pilot or detail possible disciplinary measures.

Mike Dupuis, president of the township's Board of Education, said there were no precautions the school district could have taken to prevent such an incident.

School workers are mindful that the range is nearby, he said.

"Being so close to the range, that's always in the back of our minds. It is very scary. I have children in that school and relatives that work there," he said.

The school houses students from grades three to six.

The range has been used by the military since the end of World War II, long before the once-rural area was developed.

pictures

Oxford · 11-04-2004, 05:09 PM

Seems that either mechanical failure...or human error occured. When the investigation is over you can be sure that there will be changes made to fix that problem. :nod:

Dennis · 11-04-2004, 05:30 PM

Yea i hear ya Ox
Nothing is just a mistake it allways has to be corrected by some stupid law or expensive "corrective action"
I feel sorry for the Pilot
poor guy

Big Dog · 11-04-2004, 06:30 PM

Let's hope it was just a mechanical glitch, that can be fixed. If it was a "short-between-the-headsets", that pilot is in deep kimchi!

Oxford · 11-04-2004, 07:26 PM

I just didn't want to jump to conclusions. As terrible as the action was, there needs to be cool heads involved to bring this to an objective ending that will prevent it from happening again. :nod:

whirlwind · 11-04-2004, 11:48 PM

i heard this today and i dont know crap about flying jets but it seems to me the guns only fire when the trigger is yanked on. if that in fact was what happened,you can bet dollars to donuts that pilot will never fly anything bigger than a kite from walmart for the rest of his days! ...uh oh! just got an evil conspiracy thought!...perhaps it wasnt a mistake!...maybe he was practicing for "SHTF" day? perhaps the only mistake was that somehow the armorer loaded live ammo? eh its something to think about?

SexyRedXterra · 11-05-2004, 12:04 AM

It happened about 10 minutes from my house. That's very scary--very scary!

Shaun · 11-05-2004, 12:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by whirlwind

i heard this today and i dont know crap about flying jets but it seems to me the guns only fire when the trigger is yanked on. if that in fact was what happened,you can bet dollars to donuts that pilot will never fly anything bigger than a kite from walmart for the rest of his days! ...uh oh! just got an evil conspiracy thought!...perhaps it wasnt a mistake!...maybe he was practicing for "SHTF" day? perhaps the only mistake was that somehow the armorer loaded live ammo? eh its something to think about?

WW those guns are electric and if a short developed in the wiring for the fire controls its very possible that the guns fired on their own. I doubt one of our pilots would intentionally go after a civy facility. My guess it was mechanical or an accident he was 3 miles outside the range and the safeties were probably off already since he was getting ready to fire on a target and 3 miles isn;t far in a plane at all and it does go past quick even in the cessna I have been flying at 120knots

whirlwind · 11-05-2004, 01:52 AM

well the conspiracy was said in jest lol i dont believe they would do that...YET! lol but a gun accident may be possible,but it seems that it would have fired during level flight if it were an accident due to a gun malfunction. the reports i heard is that the plane actually made a straifing run at the school. idunno? im not smart enough to give the answer. but i will stand by what i said about the pilot. if it was his fault he will never fly again.

Doglips · 11-05-2004, 05:51 AM

Form a conspiracy point of view.....sexyred how many goverment watch list are you on????? Maybe they were warning shots

Since there is a zero tollerance policy in schools....did the piolt get expeled?

HArd to belive even a bad shot/piolt could mistake a school for a bombing range....but who realy knows. I wounder in the janator can get workmans comp or combat pay

Troy · 11-05-2004, 08:38 AM

the technology that goes into this military equipment is pretty amazing. i would lean toward believing pilot error. i STRESS that this is all speculation, really everything all of us are saying is speculation. never say never right. the fan is'nt going to get hit on this one, it is gonna get buried.

silentknight · 11-05-2004, 10:45 AM

25 RDS? Its a wonder the Feinstien isn't calling for all 'assult' aircraft to be banned or at least made to use 10 rd mags.

Good think Kerry wasn't in NJ, he would probably demand another purple heart :nod:

Troy · 11-05-2004, 11:00 AM

whew silentknight i would have replied sooner but i was laughing the whole time. now THAT is good slammin.

silentknight · 11-05-2004, 11:02 AM

The guys here have taught me well

Doglips · 11-05-2004, 11:13 AM

silentknight is right....why not caleled HI POWERED ....and all the other terms than they use to describe a 25acp or smalled pistol

Rave · 11-07-2004, 12:35 PM

I'd heard they were gonna start cracking down on students,but this is a bit much,maybe a shot across the bow?

Big Dog · 11-07-2004, 03:40 PM

No weapon banning here - it's owned by the Guvmint, after all.

Mandy · 11-07-2004, 07:19 PM

:assult: :assult: :assult: :assult: :assult:

I bet the pilot will never be identified, nor any charges brought on him.

Same thing happenned here in Vieques and we still don't know who the pilot was and if any action was taken by the NAVY.

Only diference is that the Vieques accident was in an observation tower inside the range, a few miles off target, but inside the range, but the accident took place at night.

I think that the accident was a pilot error, but as humans, anyone can fail, I doubt that the pilot did it on purpose, but again, what do I know.

:uzi: :uzi: :uzi: :uzi: :uzi:

11-04-2004, 04:56 PM	#1
Shaun Super Moderator Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 8,592 Images: 1	F-16 Fighter Fires At School In New Jersey F-16 Fighter Fires At School In New Jersey Incident Happened On Training Mission POSTED: 3:56 pm EST November 4, 2004 UPDATED: 5:27 pm EST November 4, 2004 LITTLE EGG HARBOR, N.J. -- A National Guard F-16 fighter jet on a nighttime training mission Wednesday fired 25 rounds of ammunition that tore through an intermediate school. No one was injured. The military is investigating the incident that damaged Little Egg Harbor Intermediate School shortly after 11 p.m. Police were called to the area when a custodian heard what sounded like someone running across the roof of the school. The custodian was the only person in the school at the time. Police Chief Mark Siino on Thursday said police officers noticed punctures in the roof. Ceiling tiles had fallen into classrooms and there were scratch marks in the asphalt outside the building. The 2-inch long bullets are made of lead and do not explode, said Col. Brian Webster, commander of the 177th Fighter Wing of the New Jersey Air National Guard. It was unclear why the shots were fired, Webster said. Pilot Fired From 7,000 Feet At School New Jersey public schools were closed Thursday because of a teachers convention. The Ocean County school is scheduled to reopen Monday. The pilot of the single-seat jet was supposed to fire at a target on the ground three and half miles away from school on the Warren Grove firing range, Webster said. The military firing range covers parts of Little Egg Harbor, Bass River and Woodland townships in the southern part of the state. "We don't know what happened that caused the gun to fire," Webster said. The plane was 7,000 feet in the air when the shots were fired. The gun, an M61-A1 Vulcan cannon, is located in the plane's left wing. "The National Guard takes this situation very seriously," said Lt. Col. Roberta Niedt, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. "The safety of our people and the surrounding communities are our foremost concern." The jet that fired the rounds was assigned to the 113th Wing located at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland. The fighter jet returned there after firing the shots, Webster said. Webster would not identify the pilot or detail possible disciplinary measures. Mike Dupuis, president of the township's Board of Education, said there were no precautions the school district could have taken to prevent such an incident. School workers are mindful that the range is nearby, he said. "Being so close to the range, that's always in the back of our minds. It is very scary. I have children in that school and relatives that work there," he said. The school houses students from grades three to six. The range has been used by the military since the end of World War II, long before the once-rural area was developed. pictures __________________ "Homeland Security is the responsibility of an armed citizen" ME http://webpages.charter.net/s.s.v/

11-04-2004, 05:09 PM	#2
Oxford Super Moderator Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Gladstone, Missouri Posts: 13,023 Blog Entries: 4	Seems that either mechanical failure...or human error occured. When the investigation is over you can be sure that there will be changes made to fix that problem. :nod: __________________ "If it's worth doing, it's worth doing right".

11-04-2004, 05:30 PM	#3
Dennis Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Texas Posts: 1,877	Yea i hear ya Ox Nothing is just a mistake it allways has to be corrected by some stupid law or expensive "corrective action" I feel sorry for the Pilot poor guy __________________ Submitted with respect to all

11-04-2004, 06:30 PM	#4
Big Dog Moderator Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Tallahassee, Florida Posts: 10,219	Let's hope it was just a mechanical glitch, that can be fixed. If it was a "short-between-the-headsets", that pilot is in deep kimchi! __________________ Moderator of: AR15/M16, M14/M1A, New/Beginning Shooters and Militaria/Collectables.

11-04-2004, 07:26 PM	#5
Oxford Super Moderator Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Gladstone, Missouri Posts: 13,023 Blog Entries: 4	I just didn't want to jump to conclusions. As terrible as the action was, there needs to be cool heads involved to bring this to an objective ending that will prevent it from happening again. :nod: __________________ "If it's worth doing, it's worth doing right".

11-04-2004, 11:48 PM	#6
whirlwind Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: oklahoma Posts: 3,739 Images: 1	i heard this today and i dont know crap about flying jets but it seems to me the guns only fire when the trigger is yanked on. if that in fact was what happened,you can bet dollars to donuts that pilot will never fly anything bigger than a kite from walmart for the rest of his days! ...uh oh! just got an evil conspiracy thought!...perhaps it wasnt a mistake!...maybe he was practicing for "SHTF" day? perhaps the only mistake was that somehow the armorer loaded live ammo? eh its something to think about? __________________ De oppresso liber !

11-05-2004, 12:04 AM	#7
SexyRedXterra Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: NJ Shore and Western PA Posts: 1,206	It happened about 10 minutes from my house. That's very scary--very scary! __________________ "God doesn't always do things on our schedule, but he's always right on time."

11-05-2004, 01:52 AM	#9
whirlwind Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: oklahoma Posts: 3,739 Images: 1	well the conspiracy was said in jest lol i dont believe they would do that...YET! lol but a gun accident may be possible,but it seems that it would have fired during level flight if it were an accident due to a gun malfunction. the reports i heard is that the plane actually made a straifing run at the school. idunno? im not smart enough to give the answer. but i will stand by what i said about the pilot. if it was his fault he will never fly again. __________________ De oppresso liber !

11-05-2004, 05:51 AM	#10
Doglips Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Cocoa Florida Posts: 9,089	Form a conspiracy point of view.....sexyred how many goverment watch list are you on????? Maybe they were warning shots Since there is a zero tollerance policy in schools....did the piolt get expeled? HArd to belive even a bad shot/piolt could mistake a school for a bombing range....but who realy knows. I wounder in the janator can get workmans comp or combat pay

11-05-2004, 08:38 AM	#11
Troy Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Manitoba Canada Posts: 2,501 Images: 3	the technology that goes into this military equipment is pretty amazing. i would lean toward believing pilot error. i STRESS that this is all speculation, really everything all of us are saying is speculation. never say never right. the fan is'nt going to get hit on this one, it is gonna get buried.

11-05-2004, 10:45 AM	#12
silentknight Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Iowa Posts: 1,125 Images: 3	25 RDS? Its a wonder the Feinstien isn't calling for all 'assult' aircraft to be banned or at least made to use 10 rd mags. Good think Kerry wasn't in NJ, he would probably demand another purple heart :nod: __________________ Sic Vis Pacem Parabellum

11-05-2004, 11:00 AM	#13
Troy Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Manitoba Canada Posts: 2,501 Images: 3	whew silentknight i would have replied sooner but i was laughing the whole time. now THAT is good slammin.

11-05-2004, 11:02 AM	#14
silentknight Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Iowa Posts: 1,125 Images: 3	The guys here have taught me well __________________ Sic Vis Pacem Parabellum

11-05-2004, 11:13 AM	#15
Doglips Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Cocoa Florida Posts: 9,089	silentknight is right....why not caleled HI POWERED ....and all the other terms than they use to describe a 25acp or smalled pistol

11-07-2004, 12:35 PM	#16
Rave Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Tampa Posts: 6,877	I'd heard they were gonna start cracking down on students,but this is a bit much,maybe a shot across the bow? __________________ USAF '62-'66 .

11-07-2004, 03:40 PM	#17
Big Dog Moderator Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Tallahassee, Florida Posts: 10,219	No weapon banning here - it's owned by the Guvmint, after all. __________________ Moderator of: AR15/M16, M14/M1A, New/Beginning Shooters and Militaria/Collectables.

11-07-2004, 07:19 PM	#18
Mandy Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: San Juan, Puerto Rico Posts: 1,641	:assult: :assult: :assult: :assult: :assult: I bet the pilot will never be identified, nor any charges brought on him. Same thing happenned here in Vieques and we still don't know who the pilot was and if any action was taken by the NAVY. Only diference is that the Vieques accident was in an observation tower inside the range, a few miles off target, but inside the range, but the accident took place at night. I think that the accident was a pilot error, but as humans, anyone can fail, I doubt that the pilot did it on purpose, but again, what do I know. :uzi: :uzi: :uzi: :uzi: :uzi: __________________ :assult: :assult: :assult: :assult: :assult: Better be judged by 12 than carried by 6. _________________________________ If you gonna die, die with your boots on ! Iron Maiden _________________________________ The deeper you go, the better it feels ! Divers Motto :uzi: :uzi: :uzi: :uzi: :uzi: