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Airframe Details for F-16 #85-1557

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F-16 Aircraft Profile

Aircraft: 85-1557
LM Aero T/V 5C-299
Plant General Dynamics
Local C/N
Delivered USAF 85557
F-16C Block 30B
Current USAF QF-102
QF-16C Block 30B
Status [act]

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Aircraft History

Date Status Local S/N Airforce/Unit Version Name Info
15 May 1987 [act] 85557 F-16C Block 30B
16 May 1987 [act] 85557 USAF 14 TFS 'MJ' F-16C Block 30B
Unknown [i/a] 85557 USAF 14 TFS 'MJ' F-16C Block 30B
Used as a spare parts donor during a Gun Smoke exercise due to 3 consequent ground aborts.
Nov 1989 [msh] 85557 USAF 14 TFS 'MJ' F-16C Block 30B
Was restored to flyable status but suffered a blow out of the tail section due to a fire during a Cope Thunder exercise. The pilot - Lt. Rob Ray - dead-stick landed it. It took 8 months to repair. Rumors were the aft section of a previously damaged block 40 was used to replace the tail of this aircraft. It was later unofficially labeled a block 35.
Unknown [act] 85557 USAF 14 TFS 'MJ' F-16C Block 30B
Apr 1991 [act] 85557 USAF 63 TFTS 'MC' F-16C Block 30B
Apr 1992 [act] 85557 USAF 174 FS F-16C Block 30B " Sharp Shooter"
Special characteristics:
  • Nose Art
At some point with the 174th FS suffered damage to the fuselage due to a hard landing.
Sep 1995 [act] 85557 USAF 113 FS 'TH' F-16C Block 30B " Twisted Sister"
Special characteristics:
  • Nose Art
Nose art 'Twisted Sister' because the airframe was bent during a hard landing while with the 174th FS. Art done by Jerry's Graphix.
Unknown [act] 85557 USAF 113 FS 'TH' F-16C Block 30B
04 Mar 2007 [act] 85557 USAF 119 FS 'AC' F-16C Block 30B
24 Jun 2010 [sto] AAFG0688 USAF AMARC 'AC' F-16C Block 30B
May 2019 [con] 85557 QF-16C Block 30B
Sent to Boeing at Cecil Field, Florida.
Unknown [act] QF-102 USAF 82 ATRS QF-16C Block 30B

Crew Chief Comments

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TSgt. Dennis Reed

 Crew Chief Profile
14th Fighter Squadron "Samurais" , 1985 - 1989

TSgt. David Cook

 Crew Chief Profile
113th Fighter Squadron "Racers" , 1995 - 1997
We called 85-1557 "Twisted Sister" due to a very hard landing "twisting" the airframe. We considered it a "Block 35", after a engine fire at a previous assignment, they repaired it by using a Block 40 aft fuselage section.


Abbreviations and symbols:
[act] Active [i/a] Instructional Airframe [sto] Stored (e.g. at AMARG)
[cld] Cancelled Order [msh] Involved in Mishap [w/o] Write-off
[con] Converted [o/o] On Order
[des] Destroyed (drone) [pre] Preserved (museum, gateguard) T/V LM Aero Type/Version (Construction) number
[emb] Embargoed [scr] Scrapped Photo Available
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Errors and Omissions

Jun 03, 2021 - 08:23 PM
Tail section fire

When the aircraft returned to Misawa after the tail section was repaired down at Clark AB, it had the tail of an Osan 8th FW squadron commander on it. I worked in the Aircraft Structural Repair shop at Misawa from May 90 to May 93. We were tasked with putting the MJ tail markings back on it after it arrived. Lat Adkins





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