Fighter Jet News

F-16 Fighting Falcon News

Misawa F-16 drops tanks, training missiles on farm

November 9, 2001 (by Wayne Specht) - A U.S. Air Force F-16 pilot intentionally dropped an unarmed missile and two fuel tanks into a farmer's field Thursday after reporting a problem with his aircraft. The incident happened around 1400h.
Air Force personnel from Misawa Air Base found the Maverick training missile a few hours later.

No injuries were reported.

The pilot was on a training mission and experienced an in-flight emergency.The problem surfaced immediately after takeoff and the pilot had to return to the base.

An Air Force investigative board will analyze the incident.

Shortly before the pilot reported dropping the tanks, base officials were monitoring a possible engine fire reported by the F-16 pilot.

Several large pieces of fuel tank wreckage landed in a recently harvested turnip field in the farming community of Itsukawame, about 2 miles northeast of the air base.

One tank portion burrowed about 2 feet into the earth creating a crater 6- to 8-feet wide.

Other wreckage came to rest about 300 feet from the cratered area in the shadow of pine trees.

Air Force security forces guarded the wreckage until crash-recovery and explosive ordnance-disposal specialists from the base arrived at 3:45 p.m.

There was no evidence of a fire caused by the impact.

Base officials estimated about 500 gallons of jet fuel remained in the tanks. Each tank can hold 370 gallons of fuel.


Published on November 9, 2001 in the Pacific edition of Stars and Stripes.
Used with permission from Stars and Stripes, a DoD publication.
© 2001 Stars and Stripes.