Posted on 05/09/2023 3:30:55 PM PDT by Excuse_My_Bellicosity
May 6, 2023 (by Lieven Dewitte) - On Saturday morning May 6, a "Wolf Pack" F-16 crashed in a farming area near Osan Air Base. Fortunately the pilot was able to safely eject and nobody got wounded.
An F-16C assigned to the 8th Fighter Wing at Kunsan Air Base, South Korea, crashed in an agricultural area about 10 nautical miles from Osan Air Base at approximately 09:45h on Saturday during a routine training flight.
The pilot ejected safely and was transported to the Osan Air Base Urgent Care Center for evaluation. The pilot is in stable condition and no other injuries, including civilians, have been reported.
The accident occurred near Pyeongtaek, 35 miles south of Seoul. Following the crash, the fighter jet caught fire and was completely destroyed.
Kunsan Air Base is the home of the 8th Fighter Wing, "The Wolf Pack," assigned to the Pacific Air Forces Seventh Air Force and the 38th Fighter Group of the Republic of Korea Air Force. About 45 F-16 aircraft are stationed at the base. Around 30 F-16s from Kunsan were temporarily relocated to Osan in March due to routine repairs of the base’s runway.
“There were 10 Class A and B mishaps involving U.S. Air Force Fighting Falcons in fiscal 2022, but no deaths, according to data from the Air Force Safety Center. Class A mishaps cause damage totaling at least $2.5 million, the destruction of an aircraft, or the death or permanent total disability of someone involved. Class B mishaps result in between $600,000 and $2.5 million in damage, the permanent partial disability of someone, or the inpatient hospitalization of three or more personnel.
RE: Headline.
Wow! What kind of video can catch a pilot?
I didn’t see anyone eject; did he make it alive?
Wowzer!
“Wow! What kind of video can catch a pilot?”
Ha Ha ha ha ha ha {cough)
The pilot enjoyed some rice from the field while waiting for pickup.
I didn’t see anyone eject; did he make it alive?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Didn’t read the headline, now did ya?
(Sorry. I know. I’m a smart A$$)
1) Glad pilot is alive.
2)
From: IG.space website
Interestingly, the original $6.4 million per plane price in 1975 works out to about $33 million in 2022 dollars, so despite the improvements, the F-16 is still a relative bargain and the price hasn’t really risen in 47 years from a dollar-value perspective.
How Much an F-16 Costs Per Flight Hour, to Fuel, and Maintain
The F-16C Viper costs $22,514 to operate per hour.
Assuming a gallon of gas costs $5.5, it costs $5,700 on average to fuel an F-16.
F-16 maintenance costs are not publicly disclosed, but defense analysts speculate it costs $10 million to maintain an F-16 every year.
Didn’t SEE IT...
Spent a year in ROK (1969-1970) at a ROKAF base 10-12 miles south of Osan AB (Suwon AB) with a 2 week TDY to Kunson AB thrown in. Spent my first night on duty at Kunson’s Priority A alert F-4 aircraft area. Kunson is much further south of Osan so the F-16 was probably patrolling the DMZ as is their main duty. We used F-102’s for the same purpose but they flew in pairs.
There’s a lot of houses and stores close to that base, so I’m glad he aimed it at the rice fields before bailing!
Hand salute!
It was good that he was caught on video since his parachute might have failed.
BTW, the "Fighting Falcon" nomenclature is rarely seen these days. Kind of like "Thunderbolt II", it has been eclipsed by the popular nickname.
Check out the red circle at 0:34 of the video.
IG space website is wrong. Price is $29 million in 1979 dollars (when the first orders by the AF were being filled). The YF-16 and YF-17 were $38 million each in 1974.
The 66 Block 70 F-16s for Taiwan cost $8 billion, which is $121 million each, making a new F-16 more expensive than an F-35. The F-35 also costs less than a new F-15 EX or Strike Eagle. That’s just one more reason that the complaints about how expensive the F-35 is is just total crap.
No doubt, he did good!
Nobody in the F-16 community calls it the Falcon or Fighting Falcon, it’s the Viper. Some idiot 4-star vetoed Viper at the last minute and named it after the Air Force Academy mascot like the Nancy-boy that he is. I’m sure his name is on several walls-of-shame.
That F-16 may be tough to pay for on payroll deduction for that pilot.
Thanks for the info. I’m trying to be careful with my money now and should watch for accurate pricing details. 😇
Popular Mechanics:
Can you legally buy an F-16?
While extremely cost prohibitive, buying your one warplane is legal as the planes are demilitarized. However, the purchase price doesn’t include the price of maintenance and operation, which can costs thousands per flight hour. Aug 20, 2019
Fully Operational F-16 Fighter for Sale in Florida
Fully operational F-16 fighter jet hits the market (in 2019)
https://www.airforcetimes.com › news › 2019/08/29
Aug 29, 2019 — A 1980 F-16A/B Fighting Falcon is for sale in Palm Beach for $8.5 million, according to The Drive. The fighter jet, originally from Jordan....
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