NEWS: F-16 Jet Fires on NJ School

During a training mission an F-16 jet mistakenly fired 25 rounds of ammunition into an elementary school in New Jersey. A custodian was the only person in the building at the time and explained that is sounded as if someone was running across the roof.


No one was injured in the incident. The initial target for the jet to fire on was 3 1/2 miles away from the school. Due to a teachers convention, the schools in the area were closed. Ceiling tiles had fallen into the classroom, punture marks were noticed in the roof, and scratch marks were found on the outside asphalt.

The gun is located in the left wing of the jet,an M61-A1 Vulcan cannon. The bullet's were 2 inches long and made of lead. They are not meant to explode.

This is absolute genious. What would have happened had this happened when kids were in the school? Would the government have cooked up a story that a terrorist had stolen a jet and fired on the school?

Thread already exists: www.abovetopsecret.com...

Definitly. Here's an example that still most people today don't know about:

When the "weather balloon" crashed in Roswell, they didn't allow anybody in the area. After they declassified the issue, they had a nice little story they thought up. Why do they need to classify a weather balloon crashing in the first place? And it's interesting how they just happened to have a complete story after it was declassified.

The govornment is just like that, and they are most likely thinking up an excuse for this right now.

Like the images captured by a gas station security camera and hotel security camera in DC of an AA 757 that no longer exists?

Originally posted by deeprivergal
...an F-16 jet mistakenly fired 25 rounds of ammunition into an elementary school in New Jersey.

First, why would they be training with live ammo ANYWHERE NEAR an elementary school? 3.5 miles still seems a little too close to civilization for such excercises. Also, with the technology to hit your target with laser and GPS guided weapons from miles away... how could a trained fighter pilot make this kind of "mistake"? Sorry, but at least a few people need to be fired for this fiasco IMHO. First, they need to fire whoever decided that it was ok to practice with live ammo within say... 10 miles of any school (or civilization of any kind for that matter). Second, discharge or demote the pilot for being a hazard. After that, I'm sure there are at least a few more that share in this responsibility. Shame.

Wow... that is just sad. I've said it before and I said it again, in order to become a more respected nation around the world we need to create better policies and DISCIPLINE OUR MILLITARY, it doesn't have to be by force, but from what happened there... I really think it needs to be done.

I suppose that the first words from the pilots mouth when he landed probably went something like this: "I didn't do it". It makes me wonder how on earth a pilot could think an elementary school was the target.

It was an accident, no conspiracy, and it was at night. WHo says there cannot be a school near a AFB or such? It was a mistake.

There is no nead for discipline in the service or better policies, it was a mistake!!!! I am sure whoever did it will be trated accordingly.

IN order to becaome a more respected nation, we should make sure all of our milatary folk never make a mistake. THat is very funny....

Originally posted by esdad71
WHo says there cannot be a school near a AFB or such? It was a mistake.

No one says that there cannot be a school near an AFB. However, it seems that with ALL of the land that the federal government appears to have at its disposal, you would think that there are places fairly far from any real civilization where they could run exercises like this. It is not just a mistake. It's a blunder that could have been tragic. Also, the fact that it was night time shouldn't mean anything with today's tech.

It is not just a mistake. It's a blunder that could have been tragic. Also, the fact that it was night time shouldn't mean anything with today's tech

MIstake, blunder, whatever it was, there was no conspircay and I am sure whoever did it will be in alot of trouble.

Are you also suggetsing that the US govt can just blow up and use any federal land they want for training exercises? C'mon, keep a comon thread in thinking. Peope would just complain about the use of federal land as a bombing range.

[edit on 4-11-2004 by esdad71]

At least it was inert ammunition, otherwise it would have been really nasty.

www.fas.org...

www.fas.org...

Yeah I bet alot of kids hearing about this from home were wishing the pilot would have dropped a bunker buster by mistake.

I bet all the parents of the children voted Democrate. A few warning shots.

[edit on 4-11-2004 by Wask]

In Tampa there are several elementary and middle schools very close to MacDill AFB. Now, they didn't practice anywhere close to there (they went SE beyond Sebring) but it is possible that urban sprawl is partly the reason a school is now close to a range. That in no way excuses this very fortunate (no casualties) mistake; but without knowing the history of that area's growth you just don't know.

Last I knew, the gun was not laser guided. There are tracer rounds every so often so you can determine where your shot is going.

Originally posted by esdad71
Are you also suggetsing that the US govt can just blow up and use any federal land they want for training exercises? C'mon, keep a comon thread in thinking. Peope would just complain about the use of federal land as a bombing range.
[edit on 4-11-2004 by esdad71]

And using a school yard is better? I'm sure that there are going to be more than a few complaints about THIS.

Also, titian... I wasn't suggesting that the gun itself was laser guided... but it seems like the pilot would have had enogh tech at their disposal to know where the hell they were and at what they were aiming those guns.

[edit on 4-11-2004 by veritas93]

Originally posted by veritas93
Also, titian... I wasn't suggesting that the gun itself was laser guided... but it seems like the pilot would have had enogh tech at their disposal to know where the hell they were and at what they were aiming those guns.

[edit on 4-11-2004 by veritas93]

Veritas, sorry about that. Don't disagree one bit -- GPS???

A mistake... But one pretty big freakin' mistake.

Originally posted by esdad71
It was an accident, no conspiracy, and it was at night. WHo says there cannot be a school near a AFB or such? It was a mistake.

NO...that just doesn't cut it! A SCHOOL! How do you mistake a school.....night or not....were the pilots all high....investigation needed big time!

What gets me about all this is, a lot of the posters in this thread are copping out with:

"it's war"
"stressful"
"nighttime" ...

hmmm ...

"It's war".........war is not in New Jersey
"stress"........ think "Nascar" (since most of you seem to be Stateside) the Charlotte 500 for the points lead is stress - practice by yourself is just that - practice.
"nightime"........ There is too much and too many backup systems for it to be a "malfuntion of the craft".

I'm not going any further with the remarks of ignorancy that have been posted - seems many here are actually defending a major fu*k-up that will be swept like all the rest of them.

FFS.

Misfit