F-16 Fighting Falcon News

October 23, 1996 (by Lieven Dewitte) - Maj. Erik A. Hutchins, member of the 63rd Fighter Squadron at Luke AFB, Arizona, received the 1996 Semper Viper Award from Lockheed Martin Aeronautics.
Hutchins successfully landed his disabled F- 16 from the backseat after an engine oil system failure that filled the cockpit with smoke. Hutchins was on a low-altitude intercept training mission at the time of the incident and diverted to an air field in Gila Bend, Arizona, for the landing.