An Air Combat Command accident investigation board has concluded that pilot spatial disorientation was the cause of the June 15 crash of an F-16 in Iraq. As we reported earlier, Ohio Air National Guard pilot Lt. Col. Kevin Sonnenberg was flying a close air support mission aiding ground forces and died in the crash. (The Toledo Blade reports Sonnenberg was a lieutenant colonel.) The board determined that Sonnenberg recovered “sufficient” situational awareness but was too low to complete the recovery procedures he initiated.
Air & Space Forces Magazine traveled the the globe in 2024 to cover the biggest stories involving the U.S. Air Force and Space Force, from Ukraine to the Middle East, from Florida to California. Between regional conflicts in Europe and...