Balad F-16 crash blamed on maintainers and pilot
By Jennifer H. Svan, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Saturday, February 2, 2008
MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan — Low tire pressure and pilot misinterpretation were to blame for the crash last summer of a Misawa-based F-16 at Balad Air Base in Iraq, an accident investigation board has concluded.
The Pacific Air Forces-convened board faulted Misawa maintainers for failing to check properly the jet’s front tire.
Investigators also determined the pilot’s misreading the tire failure for an engine malfunction was a contributing factor to the crash, according to the full investigation report.
“The cause of the crash was determined to be an underinflated nose-gear tire,” said Col. Terrence J. O’Shaughnessy, 35th Fighter Wing commander, in an interview this week. “Post the failure of that tire, the pilot interpreted the conditions in a very dynamic situation and applied the procedures for what he interpreted to be happening, which was an engine failure.”
The F-16 crashed July 15. The pilot ejected safely. The plane continued about 2,000 feet down the runway, tumbling end-over-end, before bursting into flames.
The loss of the aircraft, equipment and ordnance totaled just over $24 million, according to a PACAF summary of the report. No other property damage or injuries to military personnel or civilians occurred.
The aircraft and pilot were deployed from Misawa and assigned to the 13th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron at Balad. The investigation report said the pilot was the commander of the deployed squadron.
The squadron, along with the 13th Aircraft Maintenance Unit, deployed to Balad in May 2007.
O’Shaughnessy said the wing is conducting a thorough review of the board’s findings to determine “if and what punishment would be appropriate for each of the individuals who had a part in the accident.”
He said he has “full confidence” in Misawa’s maintainers and pilots and their ability “to safely operate in and around our community in Misawa.”
The accident board found that the F-16’s maintenance team failed to inspect properly the front tire after it was replaced on the morning of July 15. The maintainers did not recheck the tire pressure later that day during a shift change as required. Inadequate inspections by other maintenance personnel and the pilot also contributed to the tire’s condition going unnoticed, according to a PACAF summary of the report released this week. Investigators attributed the oversight to “complacency and overconfidence” because the tire was new.
“Accurate and truthful tire pressure checks, coupled with more diligent nose tire inspections, would have prevented this mishap,” concluded accident board president Col. Brent A. Johnson of Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska.
“We will garner every lesson learned from this and continue to get better and better as a team,” 35th Maintenance Group commander Col. Cedric George said.
The tire blew on the runway 19 seconds into the F-16’s takeoff roll at 144 mph. The pilot told investigators he heard a loud pop and bang and felt a sudden deceleration, according to the report. Believing the engine to have malfunctioned, he decided to abort the takeoff.
The nose gear collapsed about 7.5 seconds later. The pilot recognized the blown nose gear and ejected just prior to losing directional control, according to the report.
Investigators said they believe the pilot could have maintained aircraft control and successfully taken off and recovered the aircraft if he had correctly analyzed the situation as a tire failure.
Johnson, however, called the pilot’s decision to abort “reasonable” given that engine failures and blown tires share many of the same auditory and physical sensations. And the pilot said the threat to Air Force personnel on the ground in Iraq also influenced his decision to abort with what he perceived as an engine problem, rather than risk having to eject outside the wire.
Source:
http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?sect ... icle=52108
Search
Register
Log in to check your private messages
Forum Guidelines
