Tri-Service
U2 Spy Plane Crashes In California
A US Air Force U-2 spy plane crashed shortly after takeoff during a training mission on Tuesday morning.
The USAF has said that one of the pilots was killed and the other one was injured. Both pilots had ejected.
The plane crashed in an unpopulated area of Sutter County, in California.
The USAF has declined to comment further except to say that the crash is being investigated.
According to CNN affiliate KCRA, a U-2 also crashed in California in 1996.
One person on the ground and the pilot, despite ejecting, were both killed.
An investigation found that a fire had broken out on the plane's air conditioning unit, but found no fault on the part of the U-2 technicians.
U-2s are manufactured by Lockheed and have been operating since the Cold War.
The aircraft flies at 70,000 feet (21,000 m) and the current model, the U-2S, was most recently upgraded in 2012.
U-2S/TU-2S STATS
General characteristics
Primary function: high-altitude reconnaissance
Contractor: Lockheed Martin Aeronautics
Power plant: one General Electric F118-101 engine
Thrust: 17,000 pounds
Wingspan: 105 feet (32 meters)
Length: 63 feet (19.2 meters)
Height: 16 feet (4.8 meters)
Weight: 16,000 pounds
Maximum takeoff weight: 40,000 pounds (18,000 kilograms)
Fuel capacity: 2,950 gallons
Payload: 5,000 pounds
Speed: 410 mph
Range: more than 7,000 miles (6,090 nautical miles)
Ceiling: above 70,000 feet (21,212+ meters)
Crew: one (two in trainer models)
Unit cost: classified
Initial operating capability: 1956
(source: www.af.mil)
(news footage: County of Sutter)
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