The Accident Investigation Board has determined that pilot error on the part of Capt. Nicholas Giglio resulted in him colliding with his flight lead, Capt. Lee Bryant, near the end of a night sortie over the waters just east of Charleston, SC, in October.  Giglio died in the collision; Bryant landed his crippled aircraft.  It appears that Giglio, an inexperienced F-16 pilot, may have been “distracted” by a radar problem and failed to properly execute a rejoin on this flight lead, leading to the collision.  Giglio is one of several fighter pilots to die in night training accidents in 2009, including one in Utah and one in Afghanistan. 

As noted earlier, Giglio was held up as a man of God and family by his Pastor.