Australian fighter crashes in training

Australian fighter crashes in training

BRISBANE, Australia (AP): An Australian air force F-111 fighter-bomber crashed into the jungle on a Malaysian island overnight during a multinational exercise, authorities said on Monday. The pilot and navigator were killed.

The aircraft crashed into the peak of a hill on Pulau Aur, a small island off Malaysia's east coast in the South China Sea, about 10:30 p.m. Australian time (7:30 p.m. Jakarta time) Sunday night during an attack simulation on a navy flotilla.

The F-111 from the No. 6 squadron at Royal Australian Air Force Amberley in Queensland state was one of four Australian planes taking part in an Integrated Air Defense Systems training operation with defense forces from Australia, Britain, Malaysia and Singapore.