This information was found online, please add any additional information or corrections.
Captain Keith A. “Sandman” Sands – March 25, 1998
Crashed into the Yellow Sea 100 kilometres west of Osan AB, South Korea at 20:52 hours. The aircraft was part of a four-ship formation on a combat training mission. Eleven hours after the mishap, the body of Captain Keith A. Sands was found. United States Air Force , Navy and Korean Air Force helped in the search. Korean Navy minesweepers found the wreckage, but the USS Salvor (ARS-52) salvaged 300 pieces to the aircraft, but lacked one large portion. Cause of the crash is still unknown.
The official Aircraft Accident Investigation Report for Captain Sand's fatal accident can be found at http://pbadupws.nrc.gov/docs/ML0302/ML030280112.pdf. It is a 42 page report, and can be a tough read. In summary, Keith's F-16 went into a steep dive that Keith did not have time to recover from. He made a high speed ejectment at an altitude of 500 to 1500 feet. During the ejection, Keith sustained "incapacitating head injuries" that left him unconscious. His life vest was also damaged during the ejectment, and could not keep his head above water after entry into the ocean. The official cause of death was drowning. He was attached to a life raft that inflated as part of the ejection process, but it did not appear that he was ever conscious after ejection, so he was not able to get into the life raft or use any of his other life-saving equipment.
Dana Schuler (Drummond)
This information was found online, please add any additional information or corrections.
Captain Keith A. “Sandman” Sands – March 25, 1998
Crashed into the Yellow Sea 100 kilometres west of Osan AB, South Korea at 20:52 hours. The aircraft was part of a four-ship formation on a combat training mission. Eleven hours after the mishap, the body of Captain Keith A. Sands was found. United States Air Force , Navy and Korean Air Force helped in the search. Korean Navy minesweepers found the wreckage, but the USS Salvor (ARS-52) salvaged 300 pieces to the aircraft, but lacked one large portion. Cause of the crash is still unknown.
Cindy Hoover (Becker)
The official Aircraft Accident Investigation Report for Captain Sand's fatal accident can be found at http://pbadupws.nrc.gov/docs/ML0302/ML030280112.pdf. It is a 42 page report, and can be a tough read. In summary, Keith's F-16 went into a steep dive that Keith did not have time to recover from. He made a high speed ejectment at an altitude of 500 to 1500 feet. During the ejection, Keith sustained "incapacitating head injuries" that left him unconscious. His life vest was also damaged during the ejectment, and could not keep his head above water after entry into the ocean. The official cause of death was drowning. He was attached to a life raft that inflated as part of the ejection process, but it did not appear that he was ever conscious after ejection, so he was not able to get into the life raft or use any of his other life-saving equipment.