115TH FIGHTER WING

MADISON, WI – A flyover will take place this weekend in honor of an F-16 pilot who died when he crashed in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. F-16s from the 115th Fighter Wing’s 176th Fighter Squadron and F-15s from the Oregon Air National Guard’s 123rd Fighter Squadron will take part in the missing man formation flyover in honor of 115th Fighter Wing pilot Maj. Durwood “Hawk” Jones. Following the missing man flyover, the flags will be presented to his children in honor of his service and sacrifice. The 115th Fighter Wing will stream the flyover live on its Facebook page, and the flyover will be visible from public vantage points. However, the memorial service will be an internal event for 115th Fighter Wing personnel and family members.

MADISON, WI -- The remains of a pilot who died when his F-16 crashed in the Upper Peninsula in December have been returned home for final burial. Air Force Maj. Durwood “Hawk” Jones, 37, of Albuquerque, New Mexico was killed when the plane went down in the Hiawatha National Forest in Delta County on Dec. 8. A husband, father of two, and a decorated combat veteran who had flown three tours of duty, he was a member of the 115th Fighter Wing in Madison, Wisconsin where his fellow airmen gathered to honor his life on Friday. Airmen lined Sloan Boulevard near Truax Field at the Wisconsin Air National Guard Base to pay their final respects to Durwood. While serving, Jones was awarded two Air Medals given to service members who have been either exposed to or faced significant risk of hostile action.

MANISTIQUE, Mich. – Officials have released the identity of the Wisconsin-based fighter pilot who died after a plane crashed in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula on Tuesday, Dec. 8. On Friday, the Wisconsin Air National Guard’s 115th Fighter Wing identified the deceased fighter pilot as Captain Durwood “Hawk” Jones, a 37-year-old decorated combat veteran from Albuquerque, New Mexico. At about 8 p.m. on Dec. 8, Jones’ F-16 Fighting Falcon crashed in the Hiawatha National Forest during a training mission. Today the 115th Fighter Wing identified Capt. The F-16 was assigned to the 115th Fighter Wing at Truax Field Air National Guard Base in Madison, Wisconsin.

STEUBEN, Mich. – A Wisconsin-based fighter pilot died after a plane crashed in a national forest in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula during a training mission, military officials said Thursday. The Wisconsin Air National Guard’s 115th Fighter Wing announced the pilot’s death Thursday, but said the pilot’s identity will not be released until 24 hours after family members are notified. The plane was assigned to the Wisconsin Air National Guard’s 115th Fighter Wing at Truax Field Air National Guard Base in Madison. The 115th Fighter Wing participated in a coordinated search effort with local emergency responders, the U.S. Coast Guard and other government agencies. The 115th Fighter Wing plans to provide more details on Friday.

DELTA COUNTY, MI - Two days after an F-16 fighter jet crashed into a remote, wooded area of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, military officials said that the pilot died. The Wisconsin Air National Guard’s 115th Fighter Wing announced the death late this afternoon. The F-16 had flown out of Truax Field Air National Guard Base in Madison. The Wisconsin Air National Guard said the cause of the crash remains under investigation. “The 115th Fighter Wing is appreciative of the community support provided to its members and will release additional details as they become available.”

“Search and rescue efforts on the ground, in the air, and in the water continue,” the Wisconsin Air National Guard’s 115th Fighter Wing said this morning in an update on the effort. “The 115th Fighter Wing participated in a coordinated search effort with local emergency responders, the U.S. Coast Guard and other government agencies overnight,” the military said. “We are a close-knit family and when an incident like this occurs, every member in our organization feels it,” said Col. Bart Van Roo, 115th Fighter Wing commander. “It’s a very remote area with no cellphone service,” Delta County Sheriff Ed Oswald said of the crash site, according to the Associated Press. Oswald said his deputies did not see any fire or flames in the crash area overnight, the AP said.

MANISTIQUE, Mich. – A Wisconsin-based fighter jet crashed in a national forest in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula while on a training mission and searchers were looking Wednesday for the pilot, who was the only person aboard, authorities said. The F-16 Fighting Falcon assigned to the Wisconsin Air National Guard’s 115th Fighter Wing at Truax Field Air National Guard Base in Madison crashed about 8 p.m. Tuesday, the Wisconsin Department of Military Affairs said in a statement. It was initially secured by local emergency responders, but military personnel and safety and security personnel from the 115th Fighter Wing have now responded, the department said. The sheriff’s office has blocked off local roads in the crash area, where he and his deputies did not see any fire or flames in the crash area overnight. An F-16 launched from Truax Field in 2011 plunged into a vacant house in Adams County, Wisconsin.