Thunderbird pilot aimed plane away from a home before ejecting

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

8 years ago

A U.S. Air Force Thunderbird rests in a field where it crashed following a flyover performance at a commencement for Air Force Academy cadets, south of Colorado Springs, Colo., Thursday, June 2, 2016. The pilot ejected safely from the jet. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)

Crew inside a military helicopter examine the site where a U.S. Air Force Thunderbird crashed following a flyover performance at a commencement for Air Force Academy cadets, south of Colorado Springs, Colo., Thursday, June 2, 2016. The pilot ejected safely from the jet. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)

President Barack Obama, center, meets with Thunderbird pilot Maj. Alex Turner at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colo., Thursday, June 2, 2016, before returning to Washington after the Air Force Academy graduation ceremony. The pilot of a U.S. Air Force Thunderbird that crashed following a flyover met with Obama shortly safely ejecting safely into a Colorado field. (Christian Murdock/The Gazette via AP, Pool)

DENVER — An Air Force Thunderbird pilot who ditched his jet moments after flying over the Air Force Academy’s commencement ceremony reported engine trouble and told air traffic controllers he was aiming the plane away from a home before he ejected safely into a field.

Maj. Alex Turner of Chelmsford, Massachusetts, had just flown over the crowd watching President Barack Obama’s commencement address June 2. In an audio recording between air traffic controllers in Colorado Springs and the elite flying team, Turner said his jet was having engine problems.

About 10 seconds later, he told the tower he was aiming the plane away from a home and “getting out.”

Turner, who has served in Libya and Iraq, parachuted safely and wasn’t seriously injured. A rescue helicopter then ferried him to a face-to-face meeting with Obama.