An F-15C pilot’s fixation on an intercept during training, and failure to focus on the aircraft’s instruments as he encountered adverse weather, caused the fatal June 15 crash in the North Sea near the United Kingdom, U.S. Air Forces in Europe announced Nov. 23. First ...
Pilot error and a series of ejection seat malfunctions led to a fatal F-16CM crash at Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., in June, accident investigators said in a new report released Nov. 9. “This accident is a tragic reminder of the inherent risks of fighter ...
The Air Force revamped its F-16 Basic Course following a 2017 incident where an inexperienced student pilot strafed the wrong target and killed a military contractor. Now, students must fly their first nighttime close air support sortie with an instructor pilot in the rear seat ...
Excessive landing speed was the primary cause of the May 19 crash of an F-35A at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., though faulty flight control logic, the helmet mounted display, the jet's oxygen system, and improper training and were all contributing factors, according to an ...
A leak in a cracked oil line caused an RQ-4’s engine to fail during a ferry flight to the Middle East in June 2018, and because the operations aircrews did not properly plan divert airfields en route, the Global Hawk crashed into the sea near ...
A pararescueman died during an October 2019 mountain rescue and climbing training exercise in Idaho after an anchor system failed, pulling him off the top of a cliff. Tech. Sgt. Peter Kraines, 33, a Special Tactics PJ with the 24th Special Operations Wing at Pope ...
A T-38C instructor pilot failed to take control during a dangerous situation as the student pilot made an incorrect input during a formation landing in November 2019 at Vance Air Force Base, Okla., causing the Talon to flip and skid to a stop, killing both, ...
A long-standing problem with F-16 landing gear caused the December 2019 crash of a Viper upon landing at Kunsan Air Base, South Korea. The documented problems with actuators and brackets on the main landing gear of F-16 Block 32 and Block 40 aircraft prompted an ...
The improper installation of two parts caused an F-16's hydraulic system to fail, making the pilot lose control and crash into a warehouse in May 2019 while flying back to March Air Reserve Base, Calif., Air Force investigators found. The F-16 pilot successfully ejected before ...
An F-16 pilot mistakenly dropped an inert bomb on private property near Misawa Air Base, Japan, in November because of a failure of communication, according to a recently released Pacific Air Forces investigation into the incident. On Nov. 6, 2019, an F-16 with the 14th ...
An Air Force survival, evasion, resistance, and escape specialist died during a September 2019 parachute jump at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., because he overcontrolled his parachute, prompting an uncontrolled spin and hard landing, according to a recently released investigation. Staff Sgt. Adam Erickson, with ...
The combination of an electrical failure and bad weather caused a pilot to eject and an F-16 to crash shortly after taking off from Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, in October 2019, the Air Force announced. The pilot survived, but the F-16 was destroyed at a ...