HILL AIR FORCE BASE (AP) -- An F-16 crash that resulted in the pilot's death was caused by pilot error, the Air Force announced Thursday.
Maj. Gregory C. Martineac died when his F-16 crashed in Utah's west desert on Nov. 9 while on a training run.Martineac was flying his plane so fast that the G-forces caused him to lose consciousness, said 388th Fighter Wing commander Col. Mike Hostage. Martineac's F-16 entered a steep dive and hit the ground.
"Most likely, he never knew what happened," Hostage said.
Blackouts are caused when the gravitational force on the pilot prevents a supply of blood to the brain sufficient to maintain consciousness.
Martineac did not eject from the plane and his body was found the next day at the crash site on the Bonneville Salt Flats.