On the morning of September 19, 2019, an F-16 Fighter Falcon from the Belgian Air Force was
flying over the northwestern Brittany province in France when it dived straight into a farm field.
The aircraft was coming from Florennes, Belgium,
on its way to a French airbase at Lann-Bihoué in Morbihan.
As it went down, its two pilots were able to eject, but one of them remained dangling
from a 250,000-volt power line for two hours as his parachute’s strappings got entangled in it.
A resident in the area recounted the experience: (QUOTE) “We were in the garden. There were
aircraft passing overhead, over the trees. We heard a loud bang and the noise of metal tearing.
A few moments later, there was a second explosion and more tearing metal. Then silence.”
A Legend Aircraft
The F-16 Fighter Falcon was originally developed
by General Dynamics for the US Air Force in the 1970s.
In 1993, General Dynamics was acquired by Lockheed Martin, which has produced the model to this day.
During its decades in service, the Falcon evolved from an air
superiority day fighter jet to an all-weather multirole war aircraft.
It features a frameless bubble canopy, a side-mounted control stick for maneuverability,
and ejection seats reclined 30 degrees to reduce the g-forces on the pilot.
Designed to be the most agile aircraft of its time,
it was the first to use a relaxed static stability and fly-by-wire control system.
Over 4,600 Falcons have been built throughout its four decades of service, and over 25 countries
have used the Falcon for their Air Forces, including Norway, Denmark, and the Netherlands.
Belgium was one of the first overseas buyers,
and around 60 F-16s were on service with the Belgian Air Force by 2019.
The Crash
An F-16 Fighter Falcon from the Belgian Air Force was flying at 1,500 feet on September 19, 2019.
The aircraft was performing a practice flight from
Belgium to a French airbase at Lann-Bihoué in Morbihan, France.
When the fighter was merely 20 miles from the base, it suddenly went into a dive
and crashed down between the towns of Pluvigner and Landaul.
The two pilots managed to eject before the impact. One of them
landed with minor injuries and was eventually retrieved from
the ground. But the other got stuck in a high-tension electricity line.
Authorities swiftly launched a crisis management operation with 40 firefighters
and 20 rescue vehicles. They also secured a 500-meter perimeter around the crash site.
The pilot was hanging from his parachute stuck in a 250,000-volt power line,
so the emergency workers had to cut off the power in the area to extract him.
General Major Vansina stated: (QUOTE) "They needed time to free him. They had to cut the
electric current, but I've been on the phone to him and he says he feels fine.”
The Prefecture of Morbihan eventually confirmed that the firefighters had safely rescued the
hanging pilot. Both airmen were treated by emergency workers before they were taken to
a nearby hospital. They were then treated for light injuries and released shortly.
During the fall, the Falcon narrowly missed a house. Its wing sliced the roof and facade of
the Kauffer family home and then plunged into a neighboring farm field. Ludovic
Kauffer reported he was at work when the accident happened, but his parents were home:
(QUOTE) "My mother is in shock, my father is too. The most important thing is that everyone is OK.”
The outer shed was in flames, as were many surrounding trees and the crash site.
15 people were evacuated from 8 homes surrounding the area as a precautionary measure,
but firefighters quickly controlled the situation.
Fortunately, the incident didn’t result in any casualties.
Investigation
A hundred police officers surrounded the area and examined the site, including the aircraft’s cargo.
But the Falcon was flying unarmed.
The Belgian Defence Ministry led the investigation and sent experts to the crash site,
but the reasons behind the incident were not immediately disclosed.
Belgium had already announced its plans to replace the F-16 with a newer model, the F-35.
But even though this Falcon had been commissioned in 1983,
it had been modernized and approved for flying before taking off.
But it was later revealed by the head of the Air Force that the pilot had indeed
reported a problem with the engine during the flight and had tried to restart it.
The maneuver was unsuccessful.
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