Word: pettyjohn
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...warplane has never fallen into Iraqi hands because of a mechanical snafu. There's only one acknowledged instance in which a U.S. warplane lost power over Iraq and had to limp to safety. It happened on Nov. 10, 1997, when an oil line broke on Captain Erik Pettyjohn's F-16 while he was 30 miles inside northern Iraq. "I had visions of being a guest of Saddam Hussein in Baghdad," Pettyjohn told TIME last week. He saw himself being paraded through the Iraqi capital in manacles while his family watched the scene on TV. "The adrenaline kicked in when...
...Pettyjohn did. He gently turned the plane north and slowly began climbing. He hit the red panic button near his left knee, jettisoning his two missiles and external fuel tanks to reduce drag and let his plane fly more easily. It was nearly seven minutes before Pettyjohn finally cleared the mountains that mark the border. In Turkey he glided to an unpowered landing, then rolled to a stop with 1,000 ft. to spare...
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