An Oklahoma Air National Guard F-16C fighter jet was destroyed in a crash when homeland defense training turned into a real life attempt to intercept a civilian plane.
The investigators said the airman could have regained control of the plane. The pilot and another instructor were found to have violated multiple training rules when they rendezvoused with the plane.
The unnamed airman, an F-16 instructor pilot, was flying over Louisiana when he ejected, sustaining minor injuries. On impact, his jet was totaled.
The pilot of the F-16 jet ejected after the crash.
The airmen went out to practice a two-jet homeland defense mission on the day of the accident.
When Russian jets are spotted off the coast of North America, or when an unauthorized aircraft flies near American airspace, alert crews are called in.
The lead pilot pretended to be an unfamiliar plane so the wingman could practice escort it.
According to the investigation report, the planned training events were low/slow intercepts, with the lead pilot simulating a defecting foreign military aircraft.
The first trial run was disappointing. Things began to get real.
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According to the report, a general aviation aircraft flew at 1,700 feet in a holding pattern around a Louisiana airport.
The pilot suggested intercepting the plane. The report said that it would help the pair identify a slow moving aircraft.
The airmen didn't tell air traffic control about their attempt to intercept the plane.
The lead pilot left to meet the tanker after reading the plane's tail number. The other airman dipped below the minimum required speed as he completed the intercept. There was a warning that the jet could stall.
The F-16's altitude was 300 feet higher than the plane's needed to execute an intercept from the side or front.
The airman hit the wrong switch as he tried to climb after joining his flight lead. The pilot didn't expect the jet to shake in response, but he did.
The F-16 was thrown. An army unit saved the airman after he fell in a tree.
The South Dakota Air National Guard plane broke after sliding off the runway.
It was a mistake to bail out.
The aircraft was in a flyable state before it was ejected. The aircraft was not out of control and could have been recovered.
People couldn't agree on whether escorting a civilian plane should count as training.
The investigators concluded that either the instructor pilot or the pilot should have known they were executing an intercept against a non-participating, uncoordinated aircraft.
There have been six accidents involving F-16s this year. The past decade has seen the total of three Fighting Falcons.
The F-16Cs have been in the inventory of the Air Force since the 1980's.
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