An American F-16 took off from Aviano Air Base in Italy in early March 2022 for an
armed patrol over Southern Europe, but it had to return to base only moments later.
The US Air Force’s F-16 Fighter Falcons of the 31st Fighter Wing are currently
serving with NATO to support security operations on the continent. However,
one of the fighters almost had a disastrous outcome even before the mission started.
As the fighter’s undercarriage was crippled during takeoff,
it not only put an end to the operation but forced the fighter to perform a gear-up landing.
Several sectors had to be locked down during the emergency,
and the staff on the ground was ready for any eventuality.
The pilot then took the plunge, and footage shot at the scene quickly went viral.
As the Fighting Falcon carrying highly volatile fluids and live
missiles glided across the airstrip, disaster loomed large in the air…
The Fighting Falcon
The F-16 was first conceived from an order placed in 1972 for a lightweight, cost-effective
air-to-air fighter, and the single-seat, single-engine fighter jet was thus born.
Built by General Dynamics, now part of the Lockheed Martin Corporation,
for the United States Air Force, the first delivery was made in 1978,
and the model would eventually serve with over a dozen other countries around the world.
The fighter is powered by a Pratt & Whitney or General Electric turbofan engine.
When using the afterburner, the machine can generate between 23 and 29
thousand pounds of thrust. Hence, its acceleration can double the speed of sound.
Its airframe measures 49 feet in length and has a wingspan of 31 feet.
It is armed with a 20-millimeter rotary cannon and fitted with underwing and
under-fuselage attachments for a wide assortment of bombs and missiles.
When loaded for combat, the F-16 weighs roughly
23,000 pounds, less than half the weight of the older F-4 Phantom II.
What’s more, the Falcon’s aluminum-alloy wings allow for greater lift and stability
at steep angles of attack, as its fly-by-wire system stabilizes the airframe via computerized
commands to the tail and wing control surfaces. Likewise, a heads-up-display instrumentation
system projects data on flying and combat onto a translucent screen in front of the pilot.
In addition, a highly sophisticated bomb-aiming system permits ordinary
so-called “dumb” bombs to be dropped with precision from
low altitudes due to a laser range-finder and high-speed digital data processing.
All in all, the structural and electronic innovations in the
F-16 made the fighter a highly capable and versatile aircraft,
and more modern models include all-weather as well as ground-attack capabilities.
No-Go
In early March of 2022, two videos were shared on Facebook showing an F-16 Fighting Falcon
executing an emergency belly landing. A US Air Force F-16C had suffered an
in-flight emergency on March 2 right after taking off from Aviano Air Base in Italy.
The US Air Force is currently supporting the North
Atlantic Treaty Organization’s air policing missions in an effort to
maintain the Allies’ airspace safe from erratic Russian aircraft in the region.
Over 100 combat aircraft from both the United States and European nations are
conducting nonstop patrols over NATO members to prevent
localized conflicts from spilling over the rest of the continent.
Aviano’s 31st Fighter Wing is the only American fighter wing in Europe south of the Alps.
It oversees two F-16 squadrons, the famous 555th “Triple Nickel” and the
510th “Buzzards,” both key as protective measures in NATO’s southern region.
While the airman who declared the state of emergency is part of the 31st Fighter Wing,
it is unclear which squadron he belongs to.
However, it is the Triple Nickel that is currently offering support to NATO’s air policing mission.
Soon after launching to carry out its enhanced armed overwatch patrol in Eastern Europe,
the F-16C was forced to return directly to Aviano Air Base. As depicted in the videos,
the pilot then had to perform a risky belly landing, all while armed with live missiles.
Fortunately, the skilled pilot managed to glide
smoothly across the airstrip and come to a halt uninjured.
It’s All In The Details
Although not many details were officially released, the Aviotionist was able to collect
more information. According to journalists Tom Demerly and David Cenciotti, the aircraft in
question was model Number 89-2035, none other than the flagship of the 555th Triple Nickel.
Moreover, photos captured by local spotters
clearly confirmed that the fighter was loaded with active missiles.
It appears as though the F-16 lost a wheel of its main landing gear during
takeoff. Therefore, it was forced to cancel its mission altogether.
Interestingly, the aircraft was first observed with a deployed
undercarriage upon its return but then opted for a gear-up landing.
And judging from the results, it was a good call.
Fortunately, the emergency call prompted a lockdown in the buildings close to the
runway, and all the required protocols were put into place.
As reported by the Air Force Times, spokesperson Natalie Stanley assured that:
(QUOTE) “Aviano Air Base’s emergency response teams responded and secured the area.”
No further details about the reasons behind
the incident or the state of the aircraft were disclosed.
What Could Have Been
Many of the base’s personnel learned of the alert through social media,
as screenshots read: (QUOTE) “Real World Shelter In Place. For Aviano Air Base,
Shelter In Place has been issued for All personnel and workcenters facing the flightline,
including sierra, zulu, and tango loop to immediately shelter in place. Real World.”
According to The Aviationist, the emergency called for a lockdown in several portions of the base
because of the inherent nature of the Viper, as the F-16 is known in the fighter pilot community.
Usually in these cases there is a potential risk of a Hydrazine leakage,
or more precisely, H-70, a solution consisting of 70 percent Hydrazine and 30 percent water.
The colorless chemical is used to feed the electrical systems and the Emergency Power Unit,
or EPU, as part of the backup power system on the aircraft.
Demerly and Cenciotti explained that whenever the unit is activated, it provides emergency
power for the internal systems as a cautionary measure in case there is an electrical failure.
In other words, if there is a flame-out, the emergency power
provided by the Hydrazine-filled EPU will give pilots enough time to land safely.
Nevertheless, the chemical is extremely toxic and volatile. Plus, it can be easily
mistaken for water, though it gives off an odor similar to ammonia. In case of exposure to the
dangerous H-70 vapors, humans could be at a significant risk depending on its duration.
Luckily, both the pilot and the ground team responded timely and professionally,
and no one was harmed during the accident or afterward.
Stanley eventually added: (QUOTE) “All other base operations have returned to normal.”
A few days later, Aviano spokesperson Major Kaylee Ausbun clarified that a
viral photo published by Italian news outlet Veneto Messenger
showing a nose-down jet in the grass was inaccurate and not the F-16 in question.
Notably, around 340 Fighter Falcons have been destroyed in accidents going back to 1975,
and as reported by the Air Force Safety Center, the mishaps have caused 131 fatalities.
However, only three of the jets had accidents in the fiscal year 2021.
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