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F-16 Aircraft Database

F-16 Accident Reports for 1990

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Found 28 aircraft, displaying 16- 28 [Sorted by Date]
Date Status Local S/N Aircraft AF/Unit Version Info Details
01 Aug 1990 [ act] 88527 88- 0527 USAF 36 TFS F-16C Block 42 D Details
The aircraft ran off the runway after an emergency landing. No-one was hurt.
07 Aug 1990 [ w/o] 84321 84- 1321 USAF 19 TFS F-16D Block 25 C Details
The aircraft crashed around 11:00 hours 6 miles out of Charleston AFB. The pilot, First Lieutenant Tortsen K. Arnold, and his back-seat IP, Lieutenant Colonel Gregory W. Lewis, were attempting an IFR emergency landing on runway 15. The engine began to fail while flying in the warning areas east of Charleston and quit totally on short final. The weather precluded an SFO landing from high key. The official cause of the accident was 'undetermined' but most likely fuel contamination from the fuel received earlier from a KC-135 AAR as determined by the investigation board. Both pilots ejected safely.
09 Aug 1990 [ act] 86359 86- 0359 USAF 416 TS F-16C Block 30 E AIB Report Details
After a test mission the pilot, Major Bonasso, forgot to lower the landing gear of theis F-16. The jet landed on the center fuel tank which exploaded and the aircraft, which was a heavily instrumented test aircraft with only 54 flying hours, was heavily damaged.
02 Sep 1990 [ act] 88440 88- 0440 USAF 421 TFS F-16C Block 40 B Details
While parked en route to Al Minhad AB for Desert Storm was struck on the tail by a taxiing C-130. The tip of the wing on the C-130 just managed to clip the tip of the tail on the F-16. Damage was heavy enough to put the aircraft out of commission for Desert Storm. When the aircraft returned to flyable status the war was over and the aircraft was assigned to the 34th TFS.
03 Sep 1990 [ w/o] 83151 83- 1151 USAF 33 TFS F-16C Block 25 B Details
Wingman observed fire coming out of engine during a training sortie. The pilot, Capt. Richard Setzer, was forced to eject. The pilot safely ejected over the Saudi Arabian Peninsula (Abu Dhabi). It was a pre-war loss and wreckage was recovered in attempt to find spare parts, but "none" were usable.
19 Sep 1990 [ w/o] 89027 89- 2027 USAF 70 TFS F-16C Block 40 E Details
Hit the ground at 20:27 hours, twelve miles southwest of Allendale, South Carolina, killing the pilot, Lieutenant Colonel Barry Bost. During a nighttime mission he flew into terrain without ever ejecting.
20 Sep 1990 [ w/o] 85510 85- 1510 USAF 314 TFTS F-16D Block 25 F Details
Destroyed on the Barry M. Goldwater range, Arizona, 10 miles east of Gila Bend at 13:37 hours.Both pilots, Captain James Jones and Lt. Col. Jon Wegner, ejected safely.
23 Oct 1990 [ w/o] 86354 86- 0354 USAF 80 TFS F-16C Block 30 E Details
Crashed 60 miles northeast of Taegu, South Korea at 9:42 hours after experiencing an engine flame-out. The pilot, Guy 'Pepe' Brilando, ejected safely.
31 Oct 1990 [ act] 83123 83- 1123 USAF 3247 TS F-16C Block 25 Details
Suffered a structural failure during a flight test (flutter tests) from Eglin AFB, Florida. The test was to assess the structural integrity of the F-16 while carrying a load of 6 AMRAAM's. The aircraft was flying inverted at 2,000 feet above the Gulf of Mexico with an airspeed of Mach 1.2. The pilot noticed a serious problem with the aircraft and rolled it back to level flight, but experienced a very hard time to keep it levelled. The left flaperon was sticking up like a sharp fin in the airflow and rudder was also missing from the aircraft. The pilot, Captain Joseph A. Lanni, gained control of the aircraft and checked its controllability. Captain Lanni brought the aircraft back to Eglin AFB with no further problems, mainly because he was already lined up with the runway and the fact that the chase-plane (F-4) pilot kept telling him to stick with it. The pilot had to keep 25 lbs of constant pressure to the stick to keep the aircraft straight. The aircraft was repaired afterwards. Maintainers believe the rudder imploded from delamination since they never found a piece of it anywhere. The jet tried to kill the same pilot 3 more times after this event - 2 sudden decompressions at altitude and when the right flaperon did the same thing, only this time tore off and smashed into the stabilator. The pilot put it down at Tyndall AB every time.
06 Nov 1990 [ w/o] 9311 81- 0648 EAF 232 TFB F-16A Block 15 E Details
Collided with F-16A (81-0650, 9313) near Port Said, Egypt.
06 Nov 1990 [ w/o] 9313 81- 0650 EAF 232 TFB F-16A Block 15 E Details
Collided with F-16A (81-0648, 9311) near Port Said, Egypt
21 Nov 1990 [ w/o] J-710 87- 0710 RNlAF 315 sqn F-16A Block 15 AE OCU Details
Crashed in Coevorden which is near Dalerpeel, Netherlands. The pilot, Maarten ''Puke'' Pladet, ejected safely. The loss was attributed to a flight control problem
01 Dec 1990 [ w/o] 88461 88- 0461 USAF 310 TFTS F-16C Block 42 C Details
Crashed at Palmdale, California onto the ramp next to Plant 42 (were the B-2 was being manufactured). The pilot ejected safely. This was a so-called piddle pack accident were a buckle/flight control system interaction occured after a urination break. The pilot, Captain Craig Fisher, partially unstrapped at 27,000 feet to use the piddle pack and initiated the ejection at 1,500 feet after having to re-arm the ejection seat.

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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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