More delays before Thunderbird finally moved to Peterson AFB

Although several more hurdles delayed its transfer Tuesday, the thunderbird jet that crashed last Thursday is finally at Peterson Air Force Base.

In what may have been its final flight, the fallen F-16 rose to an altitude of about 20 feet Thursday. This time, however, the takeoff was powered by a crane and a crew on the ground steered it with guidewires attached to all sides.

After dangling and rotating precariously for approximately 10 minutes, the jet was gently lowered onto a specially built cradle on the back of a flatbed trailer.

It provided what might be a final photo op along the road for specators.

“I wanted to pay my last respects,” said Nancy Kowalski who pulled over to snap a few pics, “I knew I was going to be taken away today, so I wanted to come.”

For a while, it appeared the jet was on its way out, but then came the hail, grounding the jet once again just inside the fenceline of the field where it landed.

Nearby resident Mary Moberly saw the parachute just after the crash Thursday, and seeing it up close Thursday evening made her even more thankful no one was seriously hurt.

“I am just in total amazement that the pilot made it,” said Moberly.

Hours later, a convoy of law enforcement, utility trucks, and military vehicles escorted the flatbed trailer to Peterson, where crash investigators will try to pinpoint the exact cause of the mishap.

The Thunderbirds commander said last week that the pilot recognized a mechanical problem on his way back to the airport after the air show Thursday and was able to steer it to a remote area then eject safely.