[MilCom] F-16 crash report

[Amtrak35 at aol.com]

>From the ACC website

F-16 accident report released

Air Combat Command Public Affairs

11/22/2005 LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. (ACCNS) – A fuel leak and subsequent 
aircraft fire led an F-16 to depart the prepared runway surface and crash while 
landing at Lamar Airport, Colo., June 28 according to an Air Force report 
released Nov. 22.

The pilot ejected from the aircraft and sustained minor injuries. No private 
property was destroyed and the airport sustained minor damage.

The $19 million aircraft, assigned to the Colorado Air National Guard’s 140th 
Wing at Buckley AFB, Colo., was destroyed when it departed the runway.

According to the Accident Investigation Board report, the fuel leak was 
caused by an improperly installed engine augmenter fan manifold. This manifold 
supplies fuel to the rear section of the engine when the afterburner mode is 
selected.

The subsequent fire damaged the aircraft’s engine nozzle, speedbrakes and 
flight controls, and rendered one of the channels of the left brake inoperative. 
The pilot flew a simulated flameout approach into the airport, but the 
inoperative left brake induced an uncontrollable drift to the right during landing. 
When the pilot realized he could not prevent the aircraft from departing the 
prepared runway, he successfully ejected. 

The investigation determined there is substantial evidence that the failure 
to troubleshoot the damaged aircraft systems and the inadvertent movement of 
the brake channel switch contributed to the pilot’s inability to stop the 
aircraft on the runway.

For more information, contact the Air Combat Command Public Affairs office at 
(757)764-5007 or e-mail acc.pam at langley.af.mil.