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Airframe Details for F-16 #87-0309

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F-16 Aircraft Profile

Aircraft: 87-0309
LM Aero T/V 5C-570
Plant General Dynamics
Local C/N
Delivered USAF 87309
F-16C Block 32H
Current USAF 87309
F-16C Block 32H
Status [w/o]

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Aircraft History

Date Status Local S/N Airforce/Unit Version Name Info
13 Jan 1989 [act] 87309 F-16C Block 32H
14 Jan 1989 [act] 87309 USAF 414 CTS 'WA' F-16C Block 32H
Oct 1991 [act] 87309 USAF USAF ADS F-16C Block 32H
Special characteristics:
  • Display team: Thunderbirds
Thunderbird single-seater in the 1992 - 1994 timeframe. Had number 2 attached on April 1st, 1993 and number 6 on Feb 14th, 1994. Was probably replaced by F-16C #87-0327.
14 Feb 1994 [msh] 87309 USAF USAF ADS F-16C Block 32H
The crash of Thunderbird no. 6 at Indian Springs Auxiliary Airfield, Nevada. A pilot error was blamed for this training crash involving a manoeuvre called a spiral descent. The pilot, Captain Thomas H. Lewis Ill, survived, but the manoeuvre was discontinued.
14 Feb 1994 [w/o] 87309 USAF USAF ADS F-16C Block 32H AIB Report
The aircraft largely remained in one piece so it was striped of all its usable parts, painted gray and then taken out onto a targeting range to become a target in the summer of 1994.

Crew Chief Comments

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SMSgt. John Manning

Crew Chief Profile
16th Weapons Squadron "Tomahawks" , 1990 - 1991
First day I crewed this jet after arriving from Misawa it had a wing harness that caught on fire when weapons was doing a check on it "nice". Not bad jet flew good most of the time and crewed it till it left for the Thunderbirds I think it was late 1991 when she went to get the red white and blue paint job etc for them.


Abbreviations and symbols:
[act] Active [i/a] Instructional Airframe [sto] Stored (e.g. at AMARG)
[cld] Cancelled Order [msh] Involved in Mishap [w/o] Write-off
[con] Converted [o/o] On Order
[des] Destroyed (drone) [pre] Preserved (museum, gateguard) T/V LM Aero Type/Version (Construction) number
[emb] Embargoed [scr] Scrapped Photo Available
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