Free Republic

The Air Force will send some perfectly fine fighter jets to the boneyard or delay its F-35 Lightning II rollout for a year if Congress blocks retirement of the A-10 Thunderbolt, according to a document recently provided to military oversight committees. The tradeoffs would occur at Hill Air Force Base in Utah, due to limited number of personnel to maintain the A-10s, F-16 Fighting Falcons and the first advanced F-35 joint strike fighters slated to arrive later this year, the service told lawmakers. The Air Force and Congress have been grappling over the future of the A-10, known as the...

FORT WORTH --- Lockheed Martin recently completed 25,000 hours of simulated flight time on an F-16C Block 50 aircraft, demonstrating the safety and durability of the F-16 well beyond the aircraft’s original design service life of 8,000 Equivalent Flight Hours (EFH). Further testing is being conducted to identify a definitive, safe flight hour limit for the aircraft. The F-16 Full Scale Durability Test (FSDT) applies stress to the aircraft’s structure to represent actual aircraft usage and identify potential fatigue issues. FSDT results will be used to help design and verify Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) structural modifications for the U.S....

The pilot of the crashed F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft has been identified as Brig. Gen. Rafid Mohammed Hassan by a spokesman for the Iraqi defense minister, according to the Associated Press. The fate of Hassan remains unknown. Thursday afternoon, U.S. Martha McSally released a statement on the crash. “My thoughts and prayers are with the pilot, his family, and all first responders. Instances like this remind us that those who wear the uniform put their lives on the line every day, and deserve our constant gratitude.” SIERRA VISTA — The F-16 aircraft that crashed east of the Douglas Municipal Airport...

An Iraqi pilot who has been training in the United States for four years was flying an F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft that crashed in southern Arizona, a spokesman for the Iraqi defense minister said Thursday. "We have no word yet on his fate or the reason behind the crash," Brig. Gen. Tahseen Ibrahim told The Associated Press. "We are in contact with the Americans to get more details." Ibrahim confirmed the pilot is Brig. Gen. Rafid Mohammed Hassan. The fighter crashed about 8 p.m. Wednesday in grassland some five miles away from the Douglas airport during a night training mission,...

SIERRA VISTA — The body of an Iraqi student pilot killed when his F-16 crashed north of Douglas on Wednesday has been recovered. American military officials had been searching for the body of the pilot since the crash. He has been identified as Brig. Gen. Rasid Mohammed Sadeeq by Iraq’s Defense Ministry, according to the Associated Press. On Thursday, a defense ministry official provided a different name for the killed pilot, identifying him as Brig. Gen. Rafid Mohammed Hassan. The ministry on Friday had no explanation for the conflicting identities, the AP reported. Residents near the site of the crash...

The two planes that collided Tuesday morning were an F-16 fighter and a Cessna 150, according to the National Transportation Safety Board, which said it is investigating the collision. The accident occurred about 11 a.m., the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement. A spokesman for Berkeley County said the two planes collided over Lewisfield Plantation in Moncks Corner, a town about 45 minutes north of Charleston. The county government said it is setting up a command center in that town, which is near Lake Moultrie. Debris has been seen on land as well as in the water, officials said...

n F-16 from the 162nd Fighter Wing of the Air National Guard has crashed near Douglas close to Arizona's border with New Mexico, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base has confirmed.

See that man in the top left of this photo? That's Captain Brian Bews and he's lucky to be alive. The skilled pilot barely managed to eject before his CF-18 fighter jet crashed to the ground during a practice flight. The practice flight took place at Lethbridge County Airport and was apparently in preparation for the weekend airshow in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. There are no details as to exactly why the jet fighter went down. We do know that Captain Bews was taken to the hospital for injury treatment. [MSNBC—Thanks, Wilson!]

PHOENIX — The military says an F-16 flying out of Arizona's Luke Air Force Base has crashed northwest of Phoenix. Base spokeswoman Mary Jo May says the aircraft went down around noon Friday. -snip-

9/18/2007 - AVIANO AIR BASE, Italy (AFPN) -- An Aviano Air Base pilot successfully ejected from an F-16 Fighting Falcon while on a routine training mission Sept. 18 here. The pilot was transported to a medical treatment facility for evaluation. The aircraft crashed in a remote area northwest of Aviano AB. Italian Carabinieri police and emergency response teams responded to the crash site. Aviano AB Airmen are assisting at the crash site. A board of officers will investigate the accident.

January 19, 2007 (by Lieven Dewitte) - A California Air National Guard F-16C (#84-1279) crashed today near Owens Lake in remote eastern California, but the pilot safely ejected and was not hurt. An engine failure in the jet caused the pilot to bail out during a training exercise, Guard officials said. Search and rescue personnel from China Lake Naval Air Station recovered the pilot. The F-16 belongs to the 194th "Griffins" FS which is based at Fresno ANG Base, CA and is the flying unit of the 144th FW. The cause of the crash is being investigated. The vast and...

plane went down Tuesday near Luke Air Force Base west of Phoenix, a base spokeswoman said. Spokeswoman Terri Cusic said the plane went down after 10 a.m. She said she didn't have information on whether the plane was from Luke or even whether it was a military plane.

An F-16 fighter jet piloted out of Hill Air Force Base crashed in Carrington Bay in the Great Salt Lake Thursday afternoon. Base officials said the jet, from the 388th Fighter Wing's 421st Fighter Squadron, went down at 2:11 p.m., approximately 30 miles west of Hill Air Force Base. The pilot is said to have ejected safely, though was reportedly taken to a local hospital. Public safety officials reported that the plane came down in Carrington Bay, in the Great Salt Lake. The aircraft was conducting a close-air support training mission over the northern Utah Test and Training Range. An...

Friday, March 18, 2005 - An Air Force pilot was able to safely eject moments before his F-16 crashed just short of the runway at Nellis Air Force Base. The aircraft was assigned to the 16th Weapons Squadron at the U.S. Air Force Weapons School based at Nellis. The crash occurred about 8:34 a.m., military officials said in a statement. The pilot was taken to a hospital, where he was being evaluated and treated for minor scratches. Officials said a safety board has been formed to investigate the crash.