US Confirms California Air National Guard Pilot Killed In Ukraine Plane Crash - Air Force

US Confirms California Air National Guard Pilot Killed in Ukraine Plane Crash - Air Force

A California Air National Guard service member was killed along with a Ukrainian serviceman in the crash of a Ukrainian Sukhoi Su-27UB combat aircraft during a military exercise, the US Air Force confirmed in a press release on Wednesday.

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th October, 2018) A California Air National Guard service member was killed along with a Ukrainian serviceman in the crash of a Ukrainian Sukhoi Su-27UB combat aircraft during a military exercise, the US Air Force confirmed in a press release on Wednesday.

"The US service member involved in the crash was a member of the 144th Fighter Wing, California Air National Guard, Fresno, California. The Airman was taking part in a single-aircraft familiarization flight with a Ukrainian counterpart," the release said.

The identity of the US pilot killed in west-central Ukraineis being withheld for 24 hours pending next of kin notification, the release said.

The US and Ukrainian governments are conducting an investigation to determine the cause of the accident that took place in the Vinnytsia Region, the release added.

On Tuesday, the press service of the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reported that the crash on October 16 killed a Ukrainian pilot and a US Air National Guard pilot, but then changed the statement to say both pilots died in the crash, without specifying their nationalities.

Exercise Clear Sky 2018 is a joint and multinational exercise that involves approximately 950 personnel from nine nations, including Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and the United States, according to the US Air Force.