Monck’s Corner, SC – At approximately 11:00 AM on 7 July, 2015, an F-16CM of the 55th Fighter Squadron, 20th Fighter Wing from Shaw AFB, South Carolina collided in midair with a civilian Cessna 150. The pilot Major Aaron Johnson ejected safely from the F-16CM. Berkeley County Rescue Squad Chief Bill Salisbury reported that there were at least two fatalities aboard the Cessna as rescue crews continue to search for survivors.
Witness reports are varied. Kathryn Dennis, a cast member of the Bravo TV reality show, “Southern Charm,” tweeted that the small plane crashed on the field in front of her home.
Update: the small plane crashed in the rice field directly in front of my house and the people in it are friends of my family. Please pray
— Kathryn C. Dennis (@kathryn_dennis) July 7, 2015
Other witnesses saw the F-16 hit the Cessna “broadside” and still others said they saw the Cessna climb into the F-16. The National Safety and Transportation Board is investigating the mishap.
Officials at Shaw AFB have announced they will also conduct an investigation on the mishap.
The Shaw AFB website reported that the collision had occurred and that Major Johnson was taken to “Joint Base Charleston’s medical clinic for examination and treatment if necessary.”
On a personal note, my oldest son and his wife live in Monck’s Corner and they were napping at the time of the crash and didn’t hear or see anything.
The last mishap near Monck’s Corner was a fatal crash of a Cessna 150 on 13 OCTOBER, 2011. NTSB Identification: ERA12FA051.
The last crash involving an F-16 from Shaw AFB was on Oct. 16, 2009 involving a midair collision of two F-16’s.
