An F-16C from the Alabama Air National Guard’s 100th Fighter Squadron overran the runway on landing at Whittman Regional Airport, Wisconsin, last week, and incurred damage. The pilot was not seriously injured. He walked away from the aircraft and was treated in a local hospital, according to press reports. Returning from a two-ship flight demonstration at the annual AirVenture air show in Oshkosh on July 28, the F-16 rolled over the runway threshold and onto a grassy area. The aircraft’s nose undercarriage apparently collapsed and its radome was severed, reported FlightGlobal. A bystander said “there was a lot of smoke, [and] a little bit of fire came out” of the engine when the aircraft came to a stop, reported Green Bay’s WTAQ News. The Air Force is investigating the incident. The 100th FS is part of the 187th Fighter Wing in Montgomery. (See also Chicago Tribune report, with photos.)
When Donald Trump begins his second term as president in January, national security law experts anticipate he may return to his old habit of issuing orders to the military via social media, a practice which could cause confusion in the ranks.