<i>Marine jets collide over Oregon, two dead
Thursday, July 22, 2004 Posted: 0100 GMT (0900 HKT)
Marine Corps
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SEATTLE, Washington (Reuters) -- Two U.S. Marine Corps fighter jets collided in a fiery crash over the Columbia River in Oregon Wednesday, killing two of the three crewmen involved, local officials said.
"We have two pilots that have been found dead, one on the Oregon side of the Columbia River and one on the Washington (state) side," Chris Fitzsimmons, Emergency Management Coordinator for Oregon's Gilliam County, told Reuters by telephone.
The third man was injured and taken to Mid-Columbia Medical Center in The Dalles, Oregon, where he was in good condition, local television reported.
Eyewitnesses reported seeing three parachutes in the air, indicating all three airmen managed to eject from their aircraft, according to local television.
The aircraft, F-18s based in Miramar, California, were on their way from Portland, Oregon, to a training range, when they collided at about 2:30 p.m., a spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration said.
The cause of the crash was not immediately known. Eyewitnesses described hearing a loud boom and seeing a fireball, Fitzsimmons said.
One of the jets was designed for a single pilot, the other required two crew members.
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Edited by - tritonal on Jul 22 2004 10:33 AM
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