PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. — F-16 fighters under the direction of North American Aerospace Defense Command intercepted a small unresponsive aircraft near Muncie, Ind. today at approximately 9:30 a.m. MDT.
The civilian aircraft departed Grand Rapids, Mich. on a post-maintenance flight and lost communications with ground air traffic controllers. Upon intercepting the aircraft, the F-16 pilots reported the pilot was unresponsive. F-16 fighters followed the aircraft until it crashed in a rural area of Randolph County, Ind. near Winchester at approximately 10:40 MDT.
First responders and local law enforcement responded to the scene.
The intent of military intercepts is to identify aircraft, re-establish communications with local FAA air traffic controllers and instruct the pilot to follow air traffic controllers to land safely for further follow-on action.
NORAD's mission – in close collaboration with homeland defense, security, and law enforcement partners – is to prevent air attacks against North America, safeguard the sovereign airspaces of the United States and Canada by responding to unknown, unwanted and unauthorized air activity approaching and operating within these airspaces, and provide aerospace and maritime warning for North America. NORAD may be required to monitor, shadow, divert from flight path, direct to land and/or destroy platforms deemed a potential threat to North America.
NORAD is the bi-national Canadian and American command that is responsible for the air defense of North America and maritime warning. The command has three subordinate regional headquarters: the Alaskan NORAD Region at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska; the Canadian NORAD Region at Winnipeg, Manitoba; and the Continental NORAD Region at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. The command is poised both tactically and strategically in our nation’s capital to provide a multilayered defense to detect, deter and prevent potential threats flying over the airspace of the United States and Canada.
For more information on the situation on the ground, please contact the Indiana state PIO 317-234-6713.