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Air Force releases findings on Misawa F-16 crash
May 25, 1999 (by
Lieven Dewitte) -
The Air Force released its findings on the cause of an F-16 aircraft accident that occurred about 85 miles south of here, near the city of Kamaishi, Japan. The accident took place Jan. 21.
Based on evidence obtained during the investigation, the accident investigation board president issued an opinion that the cause of the mishap was pilot error.
The pilot failed to pay enough attention to flying the aircraft while distracted by a minor equipment problem (the zipper on his gravity-resistant flight suit was coming undone) and unknowingly allowed the aircraft to descend below a safe altitude. Had the pilot climbed before investigating the malfunction, the accident wouldn't have occurred. The incident took place during a training flight.
The pilot, Maj. Richard O. Fenton, was flying in a 35th Fighter Wing F-16 at about 418 knots airspeed and about 3, 300 feet mean sea level (2, 000 feet above the ground)when he experienced a minor problem with his anti-gravity suit, commonly known as a G-suit. Pilots wear the G-suit over their flight suit to help counter the effects of the force of gravity on the body. He looked down to investigate the problem and kept his attention inside the cockpit too long. When he looked back up, his attention focused on the rapidly approaching ridgeline. He tried to clear the trees by pulling up at full power, but the aircraft struck the trees, severing trees in a swath35-feet-wide by 85-feet-long, just 20 feet above the rocks.
After striking the trees, the aircraft was no longer flyable, having sustained major damage and the engine stopped running. Forty-five seconds after the tree strike, the pilot successfully ejected from the disabled aircraft and parachuted injury-free to the ground. The aircraft had slowed to about 100 knots airspeed at the time of the ejection and subsequently fell to the ground. Property damage at the impact site was generally limited to charred trees.
The pilot failed to pay enough attention to flying the aircraft while distracted by a minor equipment problem (the zipper on his gravity-resistant flight suit was coming undone) and unknowingly allowed the aircraft to descend below a safe altitude. Had the pilot climbed before investigating the malfunction, the accident wouldn't have occurred. The incident took place during a training flight.
The pilot, Maj. Richard O. Fenton, was flying in a 35th Fighter Wing F-16 at about 418 knots airspeed and about 3, 300 feet mean sea level (2, 000 feet above the ground)when he experienced a minor problem with his anti-gravity suit, commonly known as a G-suit. Pilots wear the G-suit over their flight suit to help counter the effects of the force of gravity on the body. He looked down to investigate the problem and kept his attention inside the cockpit too long. When he looked back up, his attention focused on the rapidly approaching ridgeline. He tried to clear the trees by pulling up at full power, but the aircraft struck the trees, severing trees in a swath35-feet-wide by 85-feet-long, just 20 feet above the rocks.
After striking the trees, the aircraft was no longer flyable, having sustained major damage and the engine stopped running. Forty-five seconds after the tree strike, the pilot successfully ejected from the disabled aircraft and parachuted injury-free to the ground. The aircraft had slowed to about 100 knots airspeed at the time of the ejection and subsequently fell to the ground. Property damage at the impact site was generally limited to charred trees.
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