September 21, 2016 – The pilot who was killed when a U-2 crashed shortly after takeoff Sept. 20 has been identified as Lt. Col. Ira S. Eadie, according to Air Force officials.
Eadie, assigned to the 1st Reconnaissance Squadron, and another pilot ejected from the two-seater reconnaissance aircraft before it crashed at about 9:05 a.m. near the Sutter Buttes mountain range in northern California. The other pilot, who was not identified, suffered injuries that were not life-threatening and is in good condition at a local medical facility.
The U-2 was assigned to the 1st RS at Beale Air Force Base and was on a training mission.
“These incidents, while extremely tragic and hard for us to overcome, they’re incidents that we do overcome,” said Col. Larry Broadwell, commander of the 9th Reconnaissance Wing. “And I am confident that the U-2 squadrons here and the U-2 squadrons around the world are going to come off the mat stronger than they were before.”