Catastrophic engine failure caused an F-16C
to crash on the flight line of Joint Base Balad, Iraq, Nov. 12, 2008, Air Combat Command
announced yesterday. The F-16 was deployed to Balad’s 55th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron from the 20th Fighter Wing, at Shaw AFB, S.C. According to the findings of ACC’s accident investigation board (
AIB report), the aircraft was initiating an afterburner takeoff when a second-stage disk fan in the engine failed, causing fan section components to tear through the rest of the engine. Investigation analysis discovered a previously undetected sub-surface crack in the disk, but could not determine the root cause of the crack. The F-16, worth $28.8 million, was destroyed during ground impact and the subsequent fire, but the pilot was able to exit the aircraft safely and sustained no injuries.