F-16C jet crashes off coast of Hokkaido

[cywolf32]

23 January 1992:
F-16C Block 30B. MJ 85-1496.
13th FS, 432nd FW, USAF, based at Misawa AB, Aomori Prefecture.
During flight to USA, collided with tanker, KC-135R 61-0284 of 92nd Wing, USAF, and crashed into Pacific Ocean, 630 NM or 1,100 km east of Atsugi JMSDF AB, Kanagawa Prefecture.

That's the one I was thinking of. Holy crap that was 1992? God time flies.

I was stationed there when that happened. Pilot was in the water for 13 hours!! Tanker hit an air pocket and dropped, taking the nose right off the F-16. The jets were on their way to Tyndall for live AIM-9 firing exercises.

[ygbsm]

I was stationed there when that happened. Pilot was in the water for 13 hours!! Tanker hit an air pocket and dropped, taking the nose right off the F-16. The jets were on their way to Tyndall for live AIM-9 firing exercises.[/quote]


I don't want to start anything, BUT..."hit an air pocket"? Really? That is not what happened.

Please be careful how you relate a story as there are too many who read this who believe you literally which can cause a serious misconception of what we do and what happens when we don't do it well. I'm just saying.

[cywolf32]

Then please correct my statement if it is incorrect. Would turbulence better fit the description for you? You can google air pocket by the way. The term does exist. I know what I was told at the time of the occurrence. The tanker basically took the nose off the jet, causing the incident. If I'm lying, god help me..... Just grateful it all ended okay

[cywolf32]

Who is we in "what we do"? Just curious...

[ygbsm]

the report is privileged info and we is aviators and those that support them

[cywolf32]

Yeah, and I got ten feet of BS to sell you. We can talk about F-22 oxygen problems, but cannot disclose an A2A incident regarding a fighter and a tanker? Are you serious? I worked F-16's for several years. Please do not disrespect me with your last comment. If I am incorrect as stated, you are more than welcome to reply with a factual statement that would not infer an OPSEC violation.

[cywolf32]

Forget it. Not worth the hassle.

[southernphantom]

Is it just me, or have we had a massive number of Viper crashes recently??

[exfltsafety]

Is it just me, or have we had a massive number of Viper crashes recently??

This site's F-16 Mishap News lists three USAF "crashes" so far in FY12. There were five USAF F-16 Class A mishaps in the 225,000 hours flown in FY11 (reference http://www.afsec.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-080114-063.pdf). Three "crashes" so far in FY12 certainly aren't a massive number.

[Asif]

Mobility 'ballet' key to rescue of F-16 pilot

8/2/2012 - SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. (AFNS) -- Shortly after an Air Force pilot ejected from his F-16 Fighting Falcon into the North Pacific July 22, he found himself under the watchful eyes of mobility Airmen. These Airmen worked as part of a coordinated behind-the-scenes "ballet" to ensure his dramatic recovery less than six hours later.

A KC-135 Stratotanker belonging to the 22nd Air Refueling Wing at McConnell Air Force Base, Kan., and two others belonging to the 18th Wing at Kadena Air Base, Japan, were among the first on scene in the wake of the late morning incident. They, in turn, relayed the news to the 618th Air and Space Operations Center (Tanker Airlift Control Center), Air Mobility Command's operational nerve center here.

"When the call first came in from one of the KC-135 commanders we found out that we had an F-16 pilot who had just ejected. The pilot wasn't injured, but he was busy bailing out his raft," said Col. David Smith, the TACC director of operations during the incident. "We told the aircraft to stay in radio contact and let the pilot know that help was on the way and that we were immediately commencing rescue operations. Our commitment was not to let him down."

That call put into motion the race to quickly recover the pilot. TACC Airmen immediately provided air traffic controllers at Fukuoka, Japan, and Anchorage, Alaska, with the incident's location. That information was quickly passed to the Japanese Rescue Coordination Center to begin search and rescue operations. Those efforts were bolstered by the rapid passing of information to the U.S. Coast Guard Rescue Coordination Center in Alameda, Calif., which shared it with ships closest to the area.

"We were convinced that the quicker the rescue, the higher the probability of survival," said Benjamin Nevin, the TACC flight manager. He noted that although the situation was unexpected, the team was prepared.

"I flew refueling missions for F-4s as a second lieutenant in 1979," Nevin recalled. "The crews did the same things in this case that we did then: they quickly reviewed procedures for changing their refueling mission to a rescue mission and got to work."

Capt. Gabe Arrington, the commander of the McConnell KC-135, agreed.

"In pilot training, they prepare you to act under pressure and keep a level head so you can think through situations and act correctly during an emergency," he said. "Overall, I think the aircrews were just glad that we were able to be at the right place, at the right time, with the right training to help a fellow Airman."

As the minutes passed, TACC officials ensured regular communication with the pilot and with the KC-135 crews closely monitoring his condition and continuing to provide him reassurance that help was enroute. At the same time, TACC flight managers began planning for the possible launch of additional KC-135s out of Kadena AB to relieve the ones on scene.

Weather experts were also on-hand providing continuous updates on conditions.

"After we were notified of the search and rescue operation, we had to quickly evaluate surface and enroute weather conditions and hazards for a data sparse region," said Tech. Sgt. Timothy Launius, the initial shift lead for weather operations. "Fortunately, conditions favored recovery, with the greatest concern from lower ceilings across the area," .

While all these actions went on behind the scenes, Japanese and U.S. military, coast guard, commercial and research vessels worked together to ultimately rescue the pilot and return him to his home station of Misawa Air Base, Japan.

"It was an outstanding team effort, everyone was participating and making a positive impact, asking if there was anything they could do to help," said Maj. Mark Ladwig, the TACC's assistant tanker deputy director of operations. "It was a great feeling when I heard the pilot had been picked up and was safe and healthy."

"This is what our team does...and nobody does it better," said Maj. Gen. David Allvin, the TACC commander. "It happens again and again all over the world, whether it be Haiti, Japan or Libya. In this case, working as part of a multinational effort with many agencies, including Japanese air traffic control, naval and air assets, the Japanese and U.S. Coast Guards, the Joint Personnel Recovery Center, 5th Air Force, Pacific Air Forces, and U.S. Forces, Japan, we once again answered the call to save a life. They made the extraordinary look mundane, a hallmark of our tremendous mobility Airmen."

source: http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123312451

[neurotech]

I was stationed there when that happened. Pilot was in the water for 13 hours!! Tanker hit an air pocket and dropped, taking the nose right off the F-16. The jets were on their way to Tyndall for live AIM-9 firing exercises.

I don't want to start anything, BUT..."hit an air pocket"? Really? That is not what happened.

Please be careful how you relate a story as there are too many who read this who believe you literally which can cause a serious misconception of what we do and what happens when we don't do it well. I'm just saying.

Here the is the mishap report, and it seems "converging flight paths" and subsequent maneuvers caused the mishap.
http://pbadupws.nrc.gov/docs/ML0302/ML030290451.pdf
Most of the AIB reports are available, and released as unclassified reports to media etc. Some mishap were edited to permit release. SIB reports are usually not released.

[Gamera]

Thanks much, dudes.
Finally learnt the 1992 pilot's rank and name. 8D

Captain John L. Dolan.
Total flying time, 1,035.2 hours.
814.9 hours in F-16: 85.9 hours in F-16A/B, and 729.0 hours in F-16C/D.

May 2010 to May 2011, assigned as Commander, 8th Fighter Wing, based at Kun San AB, South Korea.
2 May 2012, promoted to Brigadier General.
As of May 2012, assigned as Deputy Director, Legislative Liaison, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., USA, since May 2011.

[neurotech]

I was actually surprised they mentioned the pilots involved by name in the report. They usually don't put them in the actual reports but sometimes the media will give the names of the pilots involved.

General Dolan is a command pilot with more than 3,700 flying hours, including more than 400 combat hours earned during operations Iraqi Freedom and Northern Watch.

[JoeSambor]

I was stationed with Captain Dolan at Misawa and Spangdahlem, but I never knew him at Misawa. He was one of our best pilots in the 22nd at Spang. Brought his two sons in to work with him one day and we met them in Debrief. A true patriot and warrior, class act all the way.

Best Regards,

[structuresguy]

the report is privileged info and we is aviators and those that support them

Seems readily accessible and unprivileged to me.