Red Flag Falcon Fumble at Nellis

A pair of Air Force Reserve Command F-16s from JB Fort Worth, Texas, collided just after touching down on the runway at Nellis AFB, Nev., at approximately 11:20 a.m. local time Aug. 15, according to a release from Nellis officials. The 301st Fighter Wing pilots were flying a local familiarization sortie ahead of Exercise Red Flag 15-4, which got underway on Monday, a base spokesman told Air Force Magazine. The pilots were taken to a hospital for medical evaluation; the officials are convening an accident investigation board to probe the mishap. The previous iteration of Red Flag wrapped up July 31, with B-2 bombers and some of the “most robust” integration of special operations forces in recent years, 414th Combat Training Squadron ops direction Maj. William Lutmer said in a rel?ease. Red Flag 15-3 also included F-16s conducting a unique combat search and rescue support role. “It is the first time in over two years that we have had qualified sandy pilots and it has made a big difference in the level of personnel recovery training we have been able to accomplish,” he added.