F-16 Accidents



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USAF F-16C block 40 #88-0495 of the 4th TFS after battle damage that occured on February 27st, 1991 during Desert Storm when hit by an SA-8 SAM. nose gear would not extend and the pilot successfully crash landed the aircraft at Rafha, Saudi Arabia near Iraq border. Nose damage was because nose gear did not extend. [Photo by Patrick McGee]

Comments

  • Anonymous on 2006-Mar-05 07:44:45 Anonymous said

    Kind of cool - Purple Heart painted on the tail

    The first time I pulled the left panel off where the tail meets the airframe, there was as Purple Heart painted on the frame of the tail. Kind of freaked me out till I figured out that it took a SAM in DS1...

  • Anonymous on 2009-Aug-05 01:31:36 Anonymous said

    I was the ADCC on this jet.

    I did the acceptance insp from the factory on this jet. Deployed to the desert, launched this jet on it's 1st combat mission and 50th combat mission. I then got on a C-130 and left the AOR. Two weeks later it got shot up. I went on leave back to Hill and got pictures next to it in depot after it made it back. My name was still on the inside of the NLD door. When I deployed to Balad in 2007/08 the 4th was deployed there and I got to see it on alert status again after almost 20 yrs.

  • Darren Noble on 2010-May-27 14:30:02 Darren Noble said



    I was the DCC on this aircraft when it came out of CLSS from this incident. Flew great slick, code 3 everytime it had tanks on it, never quite figured that one out? The CLSS folks did a great job rebuilding it (they made the inlet by hand here at Hill and a few other issues as well) and gave me a sort of "warranty" if you will since we were here at Hill with them. But, I went TDY and during those 2 weeks the 4th came down and took my aircraft from me and made it their Squadron aircraft since they owned it when it was shot down. If i sound bitter, sorry, pretty shitty thing to do after we get it to flying great and all.

  • falcon83-1123 on 2010-Dec-20 15:19:02 falcon83-1123 said

    Me too

    I was there with the 2952 CLSS also and worked on this jet. Remeber tearing it apart and boxing it up.

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  • Aircraft Database: F-16 #88495

    Probably an SA-8 exploded near the left external tank area. Fragments from the SAM hit the lower left side of the intake, including right through the intake. The left wing had a 2x3 inch hole and the main wing root had damage underneith. Stabilizers were peppered as well as the exhaust tail feathers. Part of the radome was also sheared off, but that damage was done during the crash landing at Rafha, Saudi Arabia when the nose gear would not extend. Major Ed 'Spot' Schumacher was a pilot who was visiting from the Fighter Weapons School and had deployed to Desert Storm with the 4th TFS. The aircraft returned to Hill AFB in a crate from Dahrain AB.

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