an a-10 thunderbolt ii similar 1 flown captain craig d. button
captain button took off in single-seat a-10 thunderbolt ii attack aircraft on training mission 2 other a-10s davis-monthan air force base in tucson, arizona. jet armed 4 mk-82 bombs, 60 magnesium flares, 120 metal chaff canisters , 575 rounds of 30-millimeter ammunition. training mission have been first time captain button dropped live ordnance.
near gila bend, arizona, after being refueled in-flight, button unexpectedly broke formation. flew in northeasterly direction towards 4 corners area of colorado, new mexico, arizona , utah. jet spotted numerous times observers on ground. 1 observer, off-duty pilot, said jet appeared maneuver around bad weather. observation suggested air force aircraft being flown manually , purposefully. flight tracked radar in phoenix, albuquerque , denver. because button s transponder turned off, aircraft tracked, not identified. after analyzing radar data later investigators able track button s flight.
the jet zig-zagged near end of flight. last spotted in air 100 miles (160 km) west of denver. jet impacted terrain 15 miles (24 km) sw of vail, colorado, on gold dust peak (39°28′44″n 106°35′40″w / 39.47889°n 106.59444°w / 39.47889; -106.59444coordinates: 39°28′44″n 106°35′40″w / 39.47889°n 106.59444°w / 39.47889; -106.59444) in remote part of eagle county. air force concluded jet had 2 5 minutes of fuel remaining when crashed. impact occurred @ 13,200 feet (4,000 m) of elevation, 100 feet (30 m) below summit. debris field on quarter-mile-square area (0.64 km). pieces of canopy , cockpit went on ridge.
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