In today's news:
A fighter pilot who survived the crash of his training jet plunged to his death with a rescuer Wednesday after a cord broke as they were being pulled up to a helicopter, an Ecuador military official said.
The pilot, identified as Rafael Durango, and an unidentified co-pilot, had earlier ejected safely from their MK-89 Strikemaster before it crashed into a jungle near the Colombian border.
Ecuadorean military officials said two helicopters were sent to recover them.
But an air force official later said the rescue went awry as Durango and a rescuer were being lifted up to one of the hovering choppers.
"A cord that was attached to a helicopter broke and the pilot and one of the rescuers fell, dying in the rescue operation,'' the official said.
The second pilot was successfully rescued, the official said.
And what do you suppose the second pilot was thinking as they lowered the "cord" to him? "No thanks, I'll walk out...".
