Training Jet Crashes In Maryland

Authorities Say Military Plane Is Privately Owned

POSTED: 2:59 p.m. EDT August 24, 2003
UPDATED: 8:37 p.m. EDT August 24, 2003

FOREST HILL, Md. -- A privately owned military jet crashed in a yard
between two houses on Sunday, killing the pilot, a federal official said.
No one on the ground was reported hurt.

The Czechoslovakian-made L-39 training jet took off from Martin State
Airport and crashed about five miles to the north in Forest Hill, said Jim
Peters of the Federal Aviation Administration.

The jet clipped one of the houses, crushing part of its roof and one
wall, fire department spokesman Rich Gardiner said.

The pilot's name had not been released Sunday afternoon. The jet was
registered to Bond Jet, LLC, of Wilmington, Del., Peters said.

The aircraft is a favorite of North American jet enthusiasts, many of
whom travel to Eastern Europe to purchase them. Peters said pilots have to
be trained and rated in the aircraft before they can fly them, and a
weapons system must be removed.

Peter Fellman and his wife, Louanne, rent the house that was damaged.
Relatives and friends helped them pack up some belongings Sunday. The
couple was away at the time of the crash and learned of it from a neighbor.

"We came right home, not knowing if it was our home," Peter Fellman said.
"I couldn't believe it."

Gardiner said the debris field in the yard was about 50 by 25 feet.

"We had a lot of fire," he said. "We had a lot of aviation fuel."

Harford County spokeswoman Merrie Street quoted witnesses as saying the
jet exploded when it hit the ground, producing a massive plume of black
smoke.

Peters said it was too early to tell what led to the crash. The National
Transportation Safety Board planned to investigate.

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