THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, June 28, 1996 TAG: 9606280602
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY ANNE SAITA AND MASON PETERS, STAFF WRITERS
DATELINE: WEEKSVILLE LENGTH: 41 lines
An Air National Guard jet with a failing engine landed safely Thursday at the Elizabeth City Coast Guard Air Station after dropped fuel tanks caused a ``rocket-attack'' report in the Weeksville area.
The pilot, Capt. Chris Rose, 29, of Annapolis, Md., released his auxiliary fuel tanks before making the emergency landing at the Coast Guard base in Weeksville.
``We always drop the tanks in this kind of a situation,'' said Maj. Mike Milord, a spokesman for the 113th Wing of the District of Columbia Air National Guard at Andrews Air Force Base.
Pasquotank County sheriff's deputies had busy moments when initial reports of ``rockets'' landing near Weeksville were received at the Central Communications switchboard in Elizabeth City.
One of those reports came from Rita Smithson of Four Forks Road, who was in her garage and getting into her car when she heard, ``This terrible boom-boom.''
In the yard was a large cylindrical silver object reeking of fuel.
``I called 911. That's all I could think to do,'' Smithson said.
A dispatcher asked Smithson to describe what she saw. ``It looks like a great ol' big rocket,'' she said.
One of tanks landed 22 feet from the house. The other landed in a nearby cabbage patch.
``The good Lord was looking after me,'' she said. ``A minute earlier, and I could have been hit in the driveway.''
The F-16's silver fuel tanks did resemble rockets, Pasquotank County Sheriff Randy Cartwright said Thursday afternoon.
Milord said an Air National Guard recovery team from Andrews AFB was ``on the way to Elizabeth City.''
``I don't yet know the details of how this will be investigated,'' Milord said.
The F-16 had been making practice runs at the Dare County Bombing Range, and the pilot elected to head for the Elizabeth City Coast Guard Air Station when he experienced engine trouble. by CNB