F-16 Aircraft Database

Had a mid-air collision at about 13:30 hours over Utah Test and Training Range, 105 miles from base. They were in six ship tactical intercept training sortie from Hill AFB. The lead aircraft collided with the wingman of the aggressor formation (#88-0537). The trailing wingman’s aircraft lost 40% of its right wing resulting in an uncontrollable spin. The aircraft crashed within the boundaries of the range. The pilot of this aircraft, Captain Paul Hertzberg, ejected with minor injuries. The other aircraft, an F-16C, suffered a gash in the wing and a lost missile and its rack. The pilot was Captain Scott Hufford, who was able to nurse the aircraft into Michael Army Air Field, Utah.

Collided with F-16 (#88-0449) who suffered a gash in the wing and a lost missile and its rack. The pilot was Captain Scott Hufford, who was able to nurse the aircraft into Michael Army Air Field, Utah.

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.

Crashed in the Taiwan Strait about 55 kilometres west of Huayu islet at Ma-Kung. The accident happened at 14:30 hours while conducting tactical manoeuvre training. Ships and helicopters were used to find the crew, Major Chin-Sung Wen and a student Captain Chia-Cheng Chan. But the search was hampered by strong winds and waves and was in vain. The loss was Taiwan's first with the F-16. Hence all Taiwan F-16's were grounded. F-16B's started flying again on March 25 while F-16A's flew again on March 26.

Veered off Hill AFB’s runway returning from a night surface attack at 20:20 hours. The pilot, Lt. Col. John Burgess, Jr, ejected with minor injuries. Cause of the crash was pilot error. On his approach for landing he failed to use proper decent control due to a step late left turn to line up with the runway.

Crashed into the Yellow Sea 100 kilometres west of Osan AB, South Korea at 20:52 hours. The aircraft was part of a four-ship formation on a combat training mission. Eleven hours after the mishap, the body of Captain Keith A. Sands was found. United States Air Force, Navy and Korean Air Force helped in the search. Korean Navy minesweepers found the wreckage, but the USS Salvor (ARS-52) salvaged 300 pieces to the aircraft, but lacked one large portion. This mishap was caused by a combination of the pilot unintentionally maneuvering his aircraft in excess of briefed parameters, and personal injuries and equipment damage sustained during the subsequent ejection. The pilot did eject safely, but sustained injuries which let him to pass away while in the water.

Crashed 70 miles southeast of Albuquerque, New Mexico at White Sands Missile Range while on a training mission. The pilot, 2nd Lt. Patrick J. 'Sherman' Potter, was killed in the mishap flying into terrain without ejecting.

Crashed at 10:30 hours seven miles south of Ainsworth, Nebraska near Johnston. The aircraft was on a two ship training mission from its home base Sioux City, Iowa. Cause of the crash was due to the F-16 flying through a flock of birds. A minimum of five American White Pelicans struck the aircraft. Damage to the structure, windscreen and ingestion into the engine brought the aircraft down onto hilly grasslands. The pilot, Lt. Col. Lundquist, ejected but was injured hitting the birds during the ejection.

While on a low-level flight from Goose Bay, Newfoundland, the aircraft hit trees. The aircraft was able to fly back to base safely. Damage was extensive with the loss of its nose cone and one of its underwing tanks. An inspection of the aircraft deemed it unrepairable.

Skidded off the runway and burned out during take-off on a post maintenance test flight. The AOA probe was installed backwards. As soon as the aircraft broke ground the aircraft porpoised up and down the runway. Faulty instrument readings gave the wrong angle of attack to the computer. Air data inputs are used to automatically schedule the leading edge flaps and the AOA limiting is in effect. The pilot, Captain Bryan Nordhelm, managed to eject safely. The pilot attempted to correct the bad data but the computer would not respond. The mishap occurred at Hill AFB, but the aircraft is normally operated by the 347th Wing at Moody AFB, Georgia. It was being worked on for NIVIS lighting upgrade before the CCIP package had been released.

Landinggear collapse during landing at Kleine-Brogel AB. Aircraft suffered only minor damage

Seriously damaged in a ground fire at Hatzor AFB

Crashed 19 kilometres off the coast of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The F-16 was in a simulated air-to-air combat training exercise from Shaw AFB. The pilot, Captain James Sevick, ejected safely and was subsequently rescued by a Coast Guard helicopter. In August the wreckage of the aircraft was recovered from a depth of fifty feet. Cause of the crash was a faulty bearing in the engine which controls airflow. The result was low thrust and inability to retain altitude. Wreckage kept at Shaw AFB.

Unable to become airborne at 09:05 hours, the aircraft ran into the localiser antenna array at the east end of Misawa AB's runway. The pilot, First Lieutenant Brice Simpson ejected, but landed in the flaming wreckage of the air plane, suffering serious burns. On September 17, the pilot died due to his injuries at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas. The aircraft was based in Japan. The pilot aborted takeoff, but was unaware of the SAFE-BAR system which could have been deployed and caught by an aircraft's dropped tail hook. It was never known why the pilot aborted the takeoff.

Damaged.