F-16 Accidents & Mishaps for the United States Air Force

F-16 Aircraft Database

F-16 Accidents & Mishaps for the United States Air Force




Found 449 aircraft, displaying 376-390 [Sorted by Date]
Date Status Local S/N Aircraft AF/Unit Version Info Details
16 Nov 2000 [w/o] 89104 89-2104 USAF 68 FS F-16C Block 40G News Article Details
Suffered a mid-air collision with a civilian Cessna 172N (N73829) at 15:56 hours. It happened at 1,200 feet near Sarasota, Florida. The Cessna pilot, Jacques Oliver, was killed. His aircraft came down in a golf coarse. Captain Greg Kreuder tried to take his F-16 for a landing at MacDill AFB, but the engine failed and the cockpit was shattered, forcing him to punch out. The F-16 came down in a wooded area four miles south of the Cessna's. The Cessna pilot never responded to Miami control to help avoid the collision. The F-16 was in a two ship formation on a ground attack training sortie. It turns out the F-16's were using the wrong frequency to contact Tampa, which had control of the airspace. Only Miami was able to keep contact. The aircraft was on loan to the 69 FS at the time of the accident.
22 Jun 2009 [w/o] 89108 89-2108 USAF 4 FS F-16C Block 40G News Article Details
The aircraft crashed in a remote part of the Utah Test And Training Range at 22:25h local time. The pilot, Captain George Bryan Houghton, was killed in the mishap. The crash was caused by target fixation and disorientation due to low night illumination.
24 Apr 1992 [w/o] 89110 89-2110 USAF 308 FS F-16C Block 40G Details
Three days prior to the accident the engine was installed by SSgt Al Lynch, SSgt Stewart Baily, SSGT Jim Biggs, Sgt Paula Forness, AIC Jerrod Whittaker and AIC Jason Wollever. After several delays, the aircraft was launched by SSGT Scott Ramsour. The aircraft taxied and went to EOR arm crew. On take-off the engine lost power and the pilot climbed to MSA to bring the aircraft back to the base. The aircraft made an emergency landing attempt and struck the approach overrun area 100 yards short of the runway on the right side. The main landing failed and the aircraft collapsed along with the nose landing gear. The aircraft came to rest between the taxiway and runway after sliding 1,500 feet. The pilot raised the canopy electrically and tried to climb out but couldn't since his G-suite hose was still connected. He was burned and recieved injuries to his back and spine but did survive after being rescued by the fire brigade. The pilot was initialy rescued by passing personel. The cause of the accident was determined to be a faulty augmentor fan control unit (AFT).
25 Oct 2002 [w/o] 89111 89-2111 USAF 4 FS F-16C Block 40G Details
Destroyed in a mid-air collision with F-16C (89-2006). First Lieutenant, Jorma D. Huhtala, was killed in the mid-air. The mishap was caused by the failure of both pilots to properly deconflict their flight paths during a tactical turn. Other contributing factors included: loss of situational awareness, misinterpretation of closure and visual cues, task misprioritization and channelization, and expectancy.
30 Mar 2006 [w/o] 89115 89-2115 USAF 421 FS F-16C Block 40G News Article Details
The pilot, 1st Lt. Jay Bear, was conducting a close-air support training mission over the northern Utah Test and Training Range. He ejected safely. The aircraft went down in a muddy tidal area along one of the islands in the Great Salt Lake. The F-16 suffered an engine failure.
Unknown [act] 89116 89-2116 USAF 421 FS F-16C Block 40G Details
During a strafing run, a bullet blew up prematurely causing damage to the airframe. This was repairable.
08 Jan 1998 [w/o] 89131 89-2131 USAF 34 FS F-16C Block 40G News Article Details
Crashed while on a bombing run at the Test and Training Range, 100 miles west from home base, Hill near Salt Lake City. The pilot, Lieutenant Colonel Judd Kelley, ejected safely. A US Army HH-60 Black Hawk rescued him. The 388th Fighter Wing cancelled all flying for two days. The cause of the crash was due to a missing combustion diffuser pressure seal in the engine. Lack of parts forced the rebuild of the engine to take seven months. Proper daily maintenance logs were not kept to show what work had been preformed. The overheated engine caused it to seize, and no chance for a restart. The aircraft had flown for almost eighteen months without the seal before the crash.
28 Nov 2005 [act] 89133 89-2133 USAF 36 FS F-16C Block 40G Details
While landing in a severe cross wind, the jet departed the runway during landing roll at Osan AB, Korea. Right main landing gear collapsed and was ripped off the aircraft leaving a hole in bulkhead 341 where the strut mounts the clevis. Much more damage was done to the entire airframe. When the engine was removed, pry bars were used to open the CSD door because the standby generator and the system pump had been crushed together. Although a class-A mishap, the aircraft was still repaired and returned to the 36th FS.
16 Feb 1994 [act] 89134 89-2134 USAF 526 FS F-16C Block 40G Details

Heavily damaged at Porotoz, Slovenia during Operation Deny Flight. Pilot ejected safely and aircraft was repaired.

Quote from pilot Andy Uribe, at the time of quote a Lt. Col.

"I was returning from a combat mission over Sarajevo and the aircraft developed an engine problem. I did a flameout landing on a short runway in Slovenia but was unable to stop the jet and ejected as it departed the runway. I was 'detained' by the Slovenians for about three hours, then released.

"When everything was happening I really didn't have any emotions or fear, I was just doing what I had been trained to do. Only when I was sitting on the X-ray table at the hospital did I realize how serious the situation had been. Had all the equipment not functioned perfectly I would have been seriously injured or killed."

20 Apr 2009 [sto] 89134 89-2134 USAF 421 FS F-16C Block 40G News Article Details
The aircraft slid off the runway at Ogden airport after being diverted there from Hill AFB. The aircraft suffered a malfunction in the nose landing gear. The pilot stayed with the aircraft and exited safely. The targeting pod was damaged and the engine will be replaced and repaired.
04 Sep 1996 [act] 89144 89-2144 F-16C Block 40H Details
A tire burst on take-off from Dhahran, Saudi Arabia and engaged the barrier. Damage to the nose, fuselage bottom, undercarriage and speed brakes. It is expected to be repaired. Pilot was OK.
08 Oct 2010 [sto] 89144 89-2144 USAF 4 FS F-16C Block 40H AIB Report Details
Ran off the runway at Bagram AB due to a braking malfunction.
24 Aug 1992 [i/a] 89146 89-2146 USAF 307 FS F-16C Block 40H Details
Destroyed by hurricane Andrew, now at Sheppard AFB as GF-16C since late 1994.
12 May 1997 [w/o] 89153 89-2153 USAF 524 FS F-16C Block 40H News Article Details
Crashed at Vaughn, New Mexico. Maintainence error caused a compressor blade to seperated from the engine. Pilot ejected at around 400 feet without injuries.
26 Apr 1999 [w/o] 89175 89-2175 USAF 63 FS F-16D Block 42G Details
Crashed 20 miles northwest of Luke AFB on White Tank Mt. Range at 18:05 hours. The cockpit landing gear lights indicated an unsafe undercarriage. While attempting to resolve the problem, the aircraft ran out of fuel. The instructor pilot, Major Kevin Grove, and a German exchange pilot, Captain Stephan Kleinheyer, were recovered safely.

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Abbreviations and symbols:
[act] Active [msh] Involved in Mishap [w/o] Write-off
[cld] Cancelled Order [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
[i/a] Instructional Airframe [sto] Stored (e.g. at AMARG)



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