Hi Lowell. Here in part is the story about the A-10 crash in Colorado. The plane that crashed was an A-10 Thunderbolt, which is also referred to as “The Warthog.” It was found on the side of Gold Peak. A lot of controversy has surrounded this crash.

The body was found at the wreckage site. DAVIS-MONTHAN AFB, Ariz. (AFNS) -- Scientists at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology in Washington, D.C., have positively identified fragmentary remains found Friday at an A-10 crash site in Colorado as those of Capt. Craig Button. The scientists used DNA testing to make positive identification.

Button was on a routine training mission April 2 when his aircraft separated from others in his formation. Button, previously an Air Force instructor pilot, was here training to fly the A-10 at the time.

Col. Barry Barksdale, commander of the 355th Wing, notified the next of kin this afternoon.

The Air Force has appointed a board of officers to investigate the accident.

Air Force Says A-10 Crash May Be Gay Suicide
Monday, 5 May 1997

TUSCON, Ariz. -- The Los Angeles Times reports the Air Force said on Friday it was investigating whether the pilot of the A-10 attack jet, which crashed in Colorado on April 2, dropped out of formation and slammed into a mountain because he feared an ex-lover was going to reveal that he was gay.

The story, which was broken by the Tuscon Citizen citing an unnamed military source, said Air Force investigators think the most plausible explanation for the crash was suicide. "The Air Force really believes that could be the answer," the source told the newspaper.

The L.A. Times quotes Col. Virginia Pribyla, the Air Force's senior press officer as saying, however, "at this point in our investigation, we have found nothing to substantiate any allegations that Captain Button was homosexual. Any reports to the contrary are irresponsible."

The Air Force Office of Special Investigations, says the Times, has no evidence of mechanical failure or a physical ailment that could have caused Button's plane to crash. Radar tracking notes that Button's aircraft rose to clear mountains before adopting a circular flight pattern near the crash site, suggesting the pilot was in control.

In 1992, the Navy was forced to apologize to the family of a depressed gay sailor it said was to blame for a 1989 mid-ship explosion that killed him and 46 other sailors aboard the USS Iowa. The Navy later admitted that lax safety procedures were to blame and that it had no proof the sailor was at fault.

You can go to the link and click on “related stories” this will give you more information. Take Care…Don in creepy town.

• A-10 Crash