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F-16 accident report released
March 6, 2001 (by
Lieven Dewitte) -
Air Combat Command determined that a critical combination of avionics anomalies, procedural errors and individual mistakes - on the ground and in the air - led to the Nov. 16, 2000, midair collision between an F-16 and a Cessna 172 near Bradenton, Fla.
The Cessna pilot, call sign Cessna 829, was killed in the accident. The F-16 pilot, call sign Ninja 2, ejected and sustained minor injuries. Both aircraft were destroyed in the accident.
At the time of the accident, Ninja 2 was part of a two-ship formation preparing to begin a surface-attack training mission at the Avon Park Air Force Range. The Cessna had taken off from Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport. The other F-16, call sign Ninja 1, was not damaged in the accident and returned safely to Moody Air Force Base, Ga.
Air Force investigators identified two causes of the mishap. First, Ninja 2 and Cessna 829 failed to "see and avoid" each other in sufficient time to prevent the mishap. According to the accident investigation report, Ninja 2 expected Ninja 1 to make a sharp left turn onto a low-level military training route at any moment. His immediate focus was to see and avoid Ninja 1. Just prior to the collision, Ninja 2 saw a white flash, but didn't realize it was another aircraft. There was conflicting testimony as to whether Cessna 829 saw the F-16 and attempted to maneuver his aircraft prior to the collision.
Second, Tampa air traffic controllers failed to transmit a safety alert to Cessna 829 when their radar system generated "Conflict Alert" warnings, indicating that two aircraft were in danger of a collision. Investigators determined that if the controllers had issued a safety alert to the Cessna when the first Conflict Alert began, it is likely the pilot would have had time to maneuver to avoid the collision.
In addition, investigators identified three factors that substantially contributed to the accident. First, the F-16 flight lead, Ninja 1, lost situational awareness and descended under Visual Flight Rules into Tampa Class B airspace without proper clearance from Tampa Approach. Ninja 1 was required to either avoid entry into Class B airspace or request permission from Tampa Approach to enter.
Second, Ninja 1's aircraft developed a position error in its navigation system that the pilot failed to recognize. The aircraft was actually nine to 11 miles south of where the pilot believed it to be, based on his INS reading. As a result, Ninja 1 unknowingly navigated his flight into Sarasota Class C airspace without the required communications with air traffic controllers.
Finally, investigators determined that Ninja 1 had made an inadvertent cursor input to his navigation system during the mission. The pilot failed to recognize the error when he switched into ground attack steering mode. As a result, he unknowingly navigated the flight further off course. If Ninja 1 had noticed the error when he switched to the ground attack steering mode and corrected it, investigators believe the collision could have been avoided.
At the time of the accident, Ninja 2 was part of a two-ship formation preparing to begin a surface-attack training mission at the Avon Park Air Force Range. The Cessna had taken off from Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport. The other F-16, call sign Ninja 1, was not damaged in the accident and returned safely to Moody Air Force Base, Ga.
Air Force investigators identified two causes of the mishap. First, Ninja 2 and Cessna 829 failed to "see and avoid" each other in sufficient time to prevent the mishap. According to the accident investigation report, Ninja 2 expected Ninja 1 to make a sharp left turn onto a low-level military training route at any moment. His immediate focus was to see and avoid Ninja 1. Just prior to the collision, Ninja 2 saw a white flash, but didn't realize it was another aircraft. There was conflicting testimony as to whether Cessna 829 saw the F-16 and attempted to maneuver his aircraft prior to the collision.
Second, Tampa air traffic controllers failed to transmit a safety alert to Cessna 829 when their radar system generated "Conflict Alert" warnings, indicating that two aircraft were in danger of a collision. Investigators determined that if the controllers had issued a safety alert to the Cessna when the first Conflict Alert began, it is likely the pilot would have had time to maneuver to avoid the collision.
In addition, investigators identified three factors that substantially contributed to the accident. First, the F-16 flight lead, Ninja 1, lost situational awareness and descended under Visual Flight Rules into Tampa Class B airspace without proper clearance from Tampa Approach. Ninja 1 was required to either avoid entry into Class B airspace or request permission from Tampa Approach to enter.
Second, Ninja 1's aircraft developed a position error in its navigation system that the pilot failed to recognize. The aircraft was actually nine to 11 miles south of where the pilot believed it to be, based on his INS reading. As a result, Ninja 1 unknowingly navigated his flight into Sarasota Class C airspace without the required communications with air traffic controllers.
Finally, investigators determined that Ninja 1 had made an inadvertent cursor input to his navigation system during the mission. The pilot failed to recognize the error when he switched into ground attack steering mode. As a result, he unknowingly navigated the flight further off course. If Ninja 1 had noticed the error when he switched to the ground attack steering mode and corrected it, investigators believe the collision could have been avoided.
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