Forum: F-16 News

Pilot Dead in F-16 Crash in Ariz.

PARKER, Ariz. (AP) — The pilot of an F-16C fighter jet that crashed in a rugged area of western Arizona was killed when his plane went down, Air Force officials confirmed Saturday.

The student pilot was practicing air-to-air combat with another F-16 from Luke Air Force Base about noon Friday when his plane crashed, base spokeswoman Mary Jo May said.

Aircraft from the Air Force, Marines, Civil Air Patrol and Arizona Department of Public Safety spent hours trying to find the wreckage, which was spotted late Friday in a remote area about 80 miles northwest of Phoenix.

Rescuers could only reach the site by helicopter and arrived at daybreak Saturday, May said. They found the pilot's parachute and some of his gear about 150 feet from an impact crater. It took several hours for the Air Force to confirm that he had died in the crash.

The pilot, whose identity hasn't been released pending notification of relatives, was part of the 62nd Fighter Squadron, one of eight squadrons at the base. The base is in the Phoenix suburb of Glendale and is the world's largest F-16 training base with about 185 F-16s.

There have been 17 other crashes of Luke-based F-16s since 1998, and only one of those resulted in a fatality, May said. That crash happened in May 2004, when a pilot with the Singapore air force died after his jet went down during a training mission at an Air Force bombing range in southwest Arizona.

The most recent crashes came in 2006. A pilot ejected safely from an F-16 in April 2006 after the lone engine on the jet exploded just after takeoff from the base. The aircraft came down in a cornfield.

Nearly nine months later, a two-seat F-16 crashed during a training mission at the same range where the Singapore pilot died. The pilot and instructor bailed out safely.

Source: http://ap.google.com:80/article/ALeqM5g ... wD8VE519G0

Air Force: Pilot dead in Arizona F-16 crash
Student pilot practiced air-to-air combat with another jet

updated 5:42 p.m. ET March 15, 2008
PARKER, Ariz. - The Air Force confirmed Saturday that an F-16 fighter pilot was killed in the crash of his jet in a rugged area of western Arizona.

The student pilot was practicing air-to-air combat with another F-16 from Luke Air Force Base about noon Friday when his plane went down.

Base spokeswoman Mary Jo May said searchers spent hours trying to find the wreckage and it was finally spotted late Friday in a remote area about 80 miles northwest of Phoenix.

Rescuers reached the site at daybreak Saturday and found the pilot's parachute and some of his gear. It took several hours before the Air Force could confirm that he had gone down with his plane.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com:80/id/23650740/

F***in geniuses. There's more F-16's than anything else, so it makes sense there would be more accidents. I guess the world's air forces are pretty stupid for continuing to buy, fly, and fight a "failure".

The 56th Maintenance Group provides aircraft maintenance on more than 180 F-16s for the Air Force's only active duty F-16 training wing. The 56th Maintenance Group generates more than 36,000 sorties compiling 39,000 flight hours per year, which plays a pivotal role in conducting the safe and efficient training for more than 350 pilots every year. As the largest maintenance group in the Air Force, the 56th Maintenance Group consists of 3,230 members operating on an annual budget of $161 million to maintain the F-16s and engines-assets, which are valued at more than $5 billion. The 56th Maintenance Group also directly contributes to Luke's second mission: training more than 3,000 maintenance technicians and 1,000 Mission Ready F-16 crew chiefs each year.

Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth.
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings,
Sunward I've climbed and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds - and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of - wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there,
I've chased the shouting wind along and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air.
Up, up the long delirious, burning blue
I've topped the wind swept heights with easy grace,
Where never lark, or even eagle, flew;
And, while with silent, lifting mind i've trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.

John Gillespie Magee Jr.

Toledo Air National Guard student pilot dies in crash
BLADE STAFF
Article published Sunday, March 16, 2008


A Toledo Air National Guard student pilot died when his F-16 Fighting Falcon crashed south of Alamo Lake, Ariz., officials confirmed on Sunday.

Second Lt. David J. Mitchell, 26, a member of the 180th Fighter Wing, was on an air-to-air training mission on Friday out of Arizona’s Luke Air Force Base when the crash occurred.

Lt. Col. Thomas R. Gee from the 180th Fighter Wing said Sunday night that Lieutenant Mitchell was learning to become a fully qualified pilot when the "tragic event" occurred. Lieutenant Colonel Gee said the student pilot located in Toledo in 2006.

Lieutenant Mitchell was temporarily assigned to the 62nd Fighter Squadron at Luke Air Force Base as part of the basic qualification course within the initial pilot training program.

A traditional member of the Ohio Air National Guard, he was scheduled to complete initial pilot training in June, 2008.

A native of Lorain, he attended Bowling Green State University, and was graduated in 2005 with a degree in aircraft maintenance.

Lieutenant Mitchell, who was the son of David M. Mitchell of Sandusky and Jo Anne Nagy of Parma, enlisted in the Ohio Air National Guard in October, 2001, and joined the 180th Fighter Wing’s maintenance squadron as a jet engine shop mechanic.

He was selected for a commission in 2006 and completed the Air National Guard’s Academy of Military Science Commissioning program, earning the rank of second lieutenant. After his commission, he attended and was graduated from the undergraduate pilot training and the fighter bomber course in 2007, held at Laughlin Air Force Base in Texas.

Source: http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ar ... /532383459

Toledo Air National Guard student pilot dies during training mission
16-March-2008

TOLEDO -- An Ohio Air National Guard student pilot has died during a training mission crash, according to the state Adjutant Genera's office.

Second Lieutenant David J. Mitchell of Toledo, Ohio, died on Friday when his F-16 Fighting Falcon crashed at approximately 12:17 p.m. PST south of Alamo Lake, Ariz.

Searchers spent hours trying to find the wreckage and it was finally spotted late Friday in a remote area about 80 miles northwest of Phoenix.

Aircraft from the Air Force, Marines, Civil Air Patrol and Arizona Department of Public Safety spent hours searching for the plane before it was located at about 10:30 p.m. Friday, May said. Ground crews on all-terrain vehicles also helped in the search.

The wreckage was spotted by a DPS helicopter crew but the wreckage wasn't confirmed as the missing jet until daybreak, May said.

Rescuers could only reach the site by helicopter and arrived at daybreak Saturday. They found the pilot's parachute and some of his gear about 150 feet from an impact crater. It took several hours for the Air Force to confirm that he had died in the crash.

The F-16C was on a training flight from Luke, the nation's primary F-16 pilot training base. There were no weapons on board, base officials said.

A board of officers has been convened to investigate the cause of the crash.

Mitchell, a member of the 180th Fighter Wing in Swanton, was a student pilot on an air-to-air training mission when the crash occurred.

Mitchell was temporarily assigned to the 62nd Fighter Squadron at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., as a part of the Basic Qualification Course within the Initial Pilot Training program. Mitchell, a traditional member of the Ohio Air National Guard, was scheduled to complete Initial Pilot Training in June 2008.

Mitchell enlisted in the Ohio Air National Guard in October 2001 and joined the 180th Fighter Wing's Maintenance Squadron as a Jet Engine Shop Mechanic.

He was selected for a commission in 2006 and completed the Air National Guard's Academy of Military Science Commissioning program earning the rank of Second Lieutenant. After his Commission, Mitchell attended and graduated from both the Undergraduate Pilot Training and the Fighter Bomber Course in 2007 held at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas.

Mitchell, a native of Lorain, Ohio, graduated from Marion L. Steele High School in 1999. He attended Bowling Green State University and graduated in 2005 with a degree in Aircraft Maintenance. Mitchell was born on May 13, 1981, and is the son of David M. Mitchell, Sandusky, Ohio and Jo Anne Nagy, Parma, Ohio. He married Kristi M. Mitchell in April 2006 who is from the greater Cleveland, Ohio, area.

Source: http://www.mansfieldnewsjournal.com/app ... 1/80316025