This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2006, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The Air Force has released the name of the pilot involved in Thursday's F-16 accident in which a jet fighter crashed in the Great Salt Lake. First Lt. Jay Baer planned not to speak publicly until the results of an investigation into the crash had been finalized. Air Force officials said Baer was experiencing mechanical troubles with his single-engine fighter jet for some time before he made the decision to eject from the plane. The exact nature of the troubles remains unknown. Baer was not badly injured in the ejection. He was picked up by rescue helicopters shortly after the crash. The aircraft came down near Carrington Island, west of Antelope Island in the Great Salt Lake.
