SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) – The Vermont Air National Guard will stop mounting dummy missiles on its jets until it figures out what caused one to accidentally fall from an F-16 during takeoff.
The Guard is also appointing a safety board to investigate Monday’s mishap at Burlington International Airport, in which a 6-foot long, 340-pound anti-aircraft missile fell from the plane, skidding down a runway. No one was hurt.
Until officials know why the missile fell, no more missiles will be mounted on planes, said Lt. Col. Lloyd Goodrow.
“It’s better safe than sorry,” Goodrow said. “Our main point is to fly safely. We look at it as the right thing to do right now, just go through every checklist and every procedure to make sure everything that didn’t work right, works right the next go round.”
The missile involved has the same electronic capability as a live weapon, but carried no explosives and could not fly on its own.
The airport was closed for about a half an hour while Air Guard personnel retrieved the missile and made sure the runway was clean of debris.
The jet was undamaged.
AP-ES-06-12-07 1515EDT
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