re: Mid air collision in SC: Cessna and F-16 **2 on Cessna Killed**

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The F-16 pilot, Air Force Maj. Aaron Johnson, safely ejected himself from the plane and was transported to Joint Base Charleston for a health assessment. Johnson's F-16 "Fighting Falcon" was from the 55th Fighter Squadron at Shaw Air Force Base in Sumter. "These are very rare," said Lt. Jenny Hyden, a spokeswoman for Shaw. "Military aircraft and civilian aircraft are not usually flying in the same airspace. When military aircrafts are doing any combat maneuvers, they are in a different airspace that civilian aircrafts are not allowed in."

Col. Stephen Jost, the commander of the 20th Fighter Wing at Shaw, said at a news conference Tuesday afternoon that Johnson was participating in a standard instrument training. Jost said Johnson was flying toward Charleston and is a "highly experienced" pilot.

"There's nothing to say that he won't be flying next week," he said.

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