Part of F-16 79-0390 found in Suffolk

Cold war, Korea, Vietnam, and Desert Storm - up to and including for example the A-10, F-15, Mirage 200, MiG-29, and F-18.
Newbie
Newbie
 
Posts: 2
Joined: 22 Dec 2009, 11:24

by jakearnolduk » 22 Dec 2009, 11:31

Hi there,

My dad recently found part of an F-16 in a field besides his house, I've managed to use this website to track down the plane that went down there:

79-0390 from RAF Bentwaters, went down due to a fuel pump failure.

The part has a serial number on it: 2006629-1 ? 69KJ86 which I believe is part of the nose landing gear.

I've attached a picture- be interested to know if anyone knows anymore about the plane, what happened etc.

Cheers
Jake
Attachments
IMAGE_077.jpg
Image of part


User avatar
Forum Veteran
Forum Veteran
 
Posts: 822
Joined: 28 Dec 2004, 05:56

by JoeSambor » 22 Dec 2009, 14:35

That is a Menasco part number, most likely you have part of the nose landing gear.

Best Regards,
Joe Sambor
LM Aero Field Service Engineer
Woensdrecht Logistics Center, The Netherlands


Elite 1K
Elite 1K
 
Posts: 1447
Joined: 30 Oct 2006, 04:31

by VarkVet » 23 Dec 2009, 03:41

I was at Bentwaters when that jet went down. It was a Nellis Jet TDY to the Creek. They came with 12 and left with 11!

Engine failed during early stages of a Functional Check Flight ... he dead sticked it as far as he could looking for one on the numerous WWII air strips to set her down. One witness said he saw the jet go behind the roof of a house before he saw the pilot eject (so he hung on to her for a while)

Part number 2006629-111 points to the upper torque arm for nose wheel steering.

hi res http://attach.high-g.net/attachments/09 ... 02_371.jpg
Attachments
090811-F-6699G-102.jpg
My eyes have seen the glory of the Lord and the esthetics of the Flightline


User avatar
Forum Veteran
Forum Veteran
 
Posts: 822
Joined: 28 Dec 2004, 05:56

by JoeSambor » 23 Dec 2009, 12:23

Good call VarkVet!!

Best Regards,
Joe Sambor
LM Aero Field Service Engineer
Woensdrecht Logistics Center, The Netherlands


Newbie
Newbie
 
Posts: 2
Joined: 22 Dec 2009, 11:24

by jakearnolduk » 23 Dec 2009, 12:57

Thanks for both replies. Really interesting to see exactly where that part fits into the plane.

I tried to find any local news articles about the crash but the only one I could find was from the LA Times.

I've used googlemaps to create a picture of the crash site, there are a couple of houses that could be the one in the witness statement. The pilot was unlucky, since there is an old WW2 USAF bomber base just a couple of miles away at Ellough. In anycase he did really well to put in down away where he did.
Attachments
crashsite.JPG
GoogleMaps image of crash site



Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 3 guests