A U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon crashed on a local mission in Germany on Sept. 22. The pilot ejected safely and is receiving medical care, Air Force officials said. The fighter was assigned to the 52nd Fighter Wing at Spangdahlem Air Base. The jet ...
Air Force mishaps
A frayed wire likely triggered stray voltage to shut off a fuel valve, causing the catastrophic loss of an MQ-9 Reaper drone last August, according to a new Air Force investigation report.
An Air Force pilot learning to fly the new OA-1K inadvertently shut off the plane’s fuel in the middle of a training sortie last October, leading to the Skyraider II crashing in an Oklahoma field, according to a new investigation report.
A U.S. Air Force T-38 training jet crashed in Alabama on May 12, after its two pilots safely ejected.
Poor event planning and staffing contributed to a fatal mishap last April at Kadena Air Base, Japan, when rotor wash from an HH-60W helicopter knocked over a Japanese teacher from a Department of Defense Education Activity school attending a public aerial demonstration, according to an Air Force investigation.
An Air Force maintenance team in Alaska failed to follow “prescribed procedures” while working on an F-22 weapons bay, leading to a mishap March 25, 2024 that killed Staff Sgt. Charles A. Crumlett, according to a recent accident investigation report.
For an investment of less than $24 million, the Air Force was able to return a damaged B-2 bomber to flying status in November. The service offered an unusually detailed description of the methods used to fix the stealth aircraft.
A trio of refueling accidents since October 2022 were caused by fighter jets' inability to disconnect after taking on fuel from the KC-46 refueler's boom, Air Mobility Command revealed Aug. 25. The Air Force said it is working with the tanker's maker, Boeing, on a ...
An MQ-9 Reaper drone plunged into the Mediterranean Sea last winter after its propeller suddenly disconnected from the engine, a recently released Air Force investigation concluded.
A U.S. Air Force KC-46 tanker suffered damage to its boom while refueling F-22 Raptors off the coast of Virginia on July 8, Air & Space Forces Magazine has confirmed, with reported radio communication from the crew indicating the boom “detached.”
The crew of an F-15E Strike Eagle assigned to the 4th Fighter Wing was uninjured after making an emergency landing at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C., on March 18.
A helicopter instructor pilot failed to take sufficient corrective action in time to fix the mistakes of a student pilot taking off from a slope, resulting in a rollover that caused nearly $11 million in damages to a TH-1H chopper last spring.