Jet's Practice Bomb Hits a Hiking Trail
FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. -- Military officials are investigating why a jet fighter accidentally dropped a 25-pound practice bomb on a hiking trail a mile from its intended target in southeastern Pennsylvania.
No one was injured when the grapefruit-size bomb fell on the trail Oct. 13 during a training mission for a pair of A-10 Thunderbolts. The bomb created a hole about 6 inches wide in the trail.
The plane that dropped the bomb was assigned to the 111th Fighter Wing at Willow Grove Naval Air Station, said Col. Chris Cleaver, spokesman for Fort Indiantown Gap, an 18,000-acre military training site managed by the Pennsylvania National Guard.
The plane has been grounded while officials investigate what caused the bomb to drop incorrectly. Investigators have already ruled out pilot error as the cause, Cleaver said.
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-- From News Services
