Fighter pilot is buried in the bay area

The first lieutenant, who was assigned to a squadron at an Air Force base in the Panhandle, has family ties to Tampa.

By Andrew Meacham, Times Staff Writer
Published February 23, 2008

TAMPA - All Ali Jivanjee ever wanted to do was fly. Way up there, in the cage of a fighter jet, where he could see the curvature of the earth.

At 2 p.m. Wednesday, Air Force 1st Lt. Jivanjee died in a midair collision of two F-15 jets. He was 26.

"Since the age of 12, Ali has wanted to fly F-15 fighter jets and serve our country," his brother, Ibrahim, said in a prepared statement. "And he accomplished this goal in the most honorable way."

As a cadet in UCLA's Air Force ROTC program, Jivanjee won an American Legion scholarship award in 2002.

"I plan to use the money to take some flying lessons," he wrote in a thank-you letter to the American Legion.

The California native joined the Air Force in 2003 as a commissioned officer and was stationed at Kalamath Falls, Ore.

Jivanjee's parents live in Tampa.

It's unclear where he was living with his wife, Sara, at the time of his death. Local Muslim leaders said the couple moved to Tampa in 2005, but Jivanjee's driver's license lists a Fort Walton Beach address.

He was assigned to the 58th Fighter Squadron within the 33rd Fighter Wing at Eglin Air Force Base in the Panhandle.

About 2 p.m. Wednesday, Jivanjee's plane collided with another F-15 jet in a training exercise over the Gulf of Mexico, Air Force spokesman Bryan Franks said. Jivanjee was killed.

The other pilot, whose name has not been released, survived. An Air Force safety board is investigating the crash.

In accordance with his Muslim faith, Jivanjee's body was washed at the Islamic Society of Tampa Bay Area. Mourners took Jivanjee to a mosque for prayers, then to Sunset Memory Gardens in Thonotosassa. Men later wrapped the body in a linen shroud.

As women in colored head scarves clustered at a distance, men in white robes or in full military dress lowered Jivanjee into the ground.

Andrew Meacham can be reached at ameacham@sptimes.com or 813 661-2431.

[Last modified February 22, 2008, 23:56:40]