Photo By Stephen Hudson | Georgia State Patrol Aviation Division Tactical Flight Officer Jamon Jones at the...... read more read more
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Flying a Bell 407 helicopter in a search over the densely forested areas of Jefferson County, the GSP was instrumental in finding the wreckage off Highway 17. Their mission was to assist the incident command with aerial views where needed.
Corporal Paul Wofford, a GSP pilot for the past five years, said they can launch quickly from their hangar in Kennesaw, and have been used in everything from finding missing persons, to aircraft crash sites.
“It’s what we are here for, to lend a helping hand,” Wofford said. “We can launch in a moment’s notice and assist.”
A GSP team earlier in the day found the first crash site. Wofford and Tactical Flight Officer Jamon Jones spotted the second site at approximately 3 p.m. Wednesday.
Wofford said the Civil Air Patrol gave them a general area to search and were flying at 500 feet when debris from the second plane was spotted.
“Jamon saw it in a heavily wooded area,” Wofford said.
The two South Carolina Air National Guard F-16s collided June 7 at approximately 9:15 p.m., and both pilots ejected safely. While the aircraft were destroyed in the crash, no one on the ground was injured, and both pilots were unharmed.
Teams from the South Carolina Air National Guard are searching the woods and surrounding fields in Jefferson County for debris, and ask anyone who finds parts or pieces of an aircraft contact the S.C. Air National Guard at (803) 647-8888 or local authorities by dialing 911.
| Date Taken: | 06.09.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 06.12.2016 09:23 |
| Story ID: | 200789 |
| Location: | LOUISVILLE, GEORGIA, US |
| Web Views: | 1,957 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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