BELLE CHASSE, La. - Two Louisiana Air National Guard pilots intercepted the airplane used by Marcus Schrenker in what is now being called an attempt to fake his death. Maj. Matt Rippen and Capt. Josh Fogle, both with the 159th Fighter Wing, were manning their alert mission in Belle Chasse, La., when they got the call.
"This is just one part of our mission which includes homeland defense," said Rippen. "We have conducted many intercepts with the situation usually being one of someone accidentally flying off course or perhaps being on the wrong frequency," he said, and added that they were surprised to find the plane pilotless.
Sunday evening the two pilots were assigned to fly out and find an airplane which had previously made a distress call to the Federal Aviation Administration and then went silent. When they arrived, the airplane was still in the air headed toward the Gulf of Mexico. With Rippen flying above and Fogle flying next to the plane, they "shadowed" the aircraft until it impacted the ground. Fogle was then able to direct local authorities to the crash site to recover the plane and try to locate the pilot.
The 159th is tasked to provide air superiority over Louisiana and the Gulf Coast while supporting the North American Aerospace Defense Command. To fulfill this mission requires air defense alert 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Rippen joined the Louisiana Air National Guard in August 2005. He has been assigned as a flight commander and alert operations officer and is now the 159th safety officer. He has flown F-15s for 12 years with more than 1,100 flight hours.
Fogle is an active-duty pilot who has been assigned to the Louisiana Air National Guard's 159th since August 2007. He has flown F-15s for six years and more than 700 flight hours.