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F-16 Aircraft Database

F-16 Accident Reports for 1981

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Found 14 aircraft, displaying termsofuse.html- 14 [Sorted by Date]
Date Status Local S/N Aircraft AF/Unit Version Info Details
Jan 1981 [ act] 75745 75- 0745 F-16A Details
Dead stick landing but was repaired.
20 Jan 1981 [ w/o] 222 78- 0328 IDFAF 110 sqn F-16A Block 10 Details
Crashed after a mid-air with an F-4E Phantom II (68-0546, 222). Pilot Major Ehud Ben Amitay was killed as well as the pilot of the F-4, Dan Weiss. The navigator of the F-4, Eliezer Adar, was rescued
12 Mar 1981 [ w/o] FA-11 78- 0126 BAF 349 sqn F-16A Block 1 Details
Crashed near Ville-du-Bois (not far from Vielsalm), Belgium killing pilot Captain Jean-Marie Paul. During a low level interception an actuator from the leading edge automatic flap broke
27 Mar 1981 [ w/o] 78105 78- 0105 USAF 61 TFTS F-16B Block 5 Details
Went down over the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Florida. The crash was caused by an N2 speed sensor fault due to failed pins inside the sensor. The aircraft was recovered but damage was extensive to the cockpit area. The aircraft remains were brought back to MacDill AFB and stored in a hanger with the front being replaced by the front of #84-1228. Everything was removed forward of the intake and it was used as a maintainance trainer for a while.
06 Apr 1981 [ w/o] 78013 78- 0013 USAF 34 TFS F-16A Block 1 Details
Crashed at Holloman AFB, New Mexico due to fuel starvation. After being written-off, it was transferred to Lowry TTC as a GF-16A
10 Apr 1981 [ w/o] 79316 79- 0316 USAF 421 TFS F-16A Block 10 Details
At 1:09 local time the main generator warning light came on and the EPU started. The pilot Major John Cary who was part of a four ship flight advised of his emergency and tried to make it to Buckley ANGB. After flying in for five minutes on the EPU, that failed and flight controls were lost. Major Cary ejected at 1000 feet with a 90 degree nose down near Elizabeth, Colorado. Injuries were sore neck, chipped tooth and swollen eye which resulted in temporary blindness. This was caused by the high negative G's the aircraft pulled (-6G during a pitch down). The reason for the failure was due to an EPU overspeed which caused an over voltage to the flight control computer causing it to shut down.
02 Jun 1981 [ w/o] 280 78- 0280 RNoAF 332 skv F-16A Block 5 Details
Suffered a collision with a goose and crashed at Lake Tunhovd, Norway. The pilot, Morten Køpke, ejected with minor injuries.
03 Jun 1981 [ w/o] J-237 78- 0237 RNlAF 322 sqn F-16A Block 5 Details
An engine problem brought down this aircraft in Lauwersmeer, Netherlands. The pilot managed to eject safely
29 Jun 1981 [ w/o] 79313 79- 0313 USAF 421 TFS F-16A Block 10 Details
Went down in Great Salt Lake, Utah at 18:14 hours. An EPU problem was the cause of the mishap. The pilot, Captain Thomas F. Hauret, ejected safely.
17 Jul 1981 [ w/o] J-217 78- 0217 RNlAF 322 sqn F-16A Block 1 Details
Aircraft was damaged beyond repair when it ran over the barrier at Leeuwarden AB, the Netherlands. The pilot, Lt. Filip Appeldorn, ejected safely and survived the accident. The mishap occurred during initial conversion training due to an engine problem. This was the first zero-zero ejection from an F-16
05 Aug 1981 [ w/o] 78046 78- 0046 USAF 4 TFS F-16A Block 5 Details
Crashed in the Utah Test & Training Range, killing the pilot, Captain J. Edgington Moats at 14:54 hours. All USAF F-16's were grounded two days later. It was the F-16's second grounding. Cause of accident was a malfunctioning bleed air valve which allowed bleed air to leak out onto the EPU, causing an electrical surge that shut down the flight control computer. The pilot initiated ejection, but was too late.
20 Oct 1981 [ w/o] J-233 78- 0233 RNlAF 323 sqn F-16A Block 5 Details
Crashed in Waddenzee, Netherlands which is near Ameland. The pilot ejected safely
22 Oct 1981 [ w/o] FA-29 78- 0144 BAF 350 sqn F-16A Block 10 Details
Crashed after the aircraft suffered an engine flame-out, in Soumoy, Belgium. Lieutenant Roger Uytterhagen ejected safely
20 Nov 1981 [ w/o] 257 78- 0350 IDFAF 117 sqn F-16A Block 10 C Details



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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