NTSB: Fighter jet’s engine quit before it crashed in Arizona

By BOB CHRISTIE
Associated Press

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — A new report says the pilot of a fighter jet operated by a military contractor that crashed in the desert outside Phoenix last month reported a fuel problem and then a failure of the jet’s engine before he ejected. The pilot of the French-built Mirage F1 suffered minor injuries but no one on the ground was hurt. A preliminary National Transportation Safety Board report says the pilot was flying out of Luke Air Force Base in the Phoenix suburb of Glendale on a mission to help train military fighter pilots when the plane went down on Feb. 10. The pilot was returning to Luke when he lost fuel pressure and the engine quit. He ejected after steering the jet toward the open desert.