USAF Thunderbirds F-16 Crash at Idaho

MOUNTAIN HOME AIR FORCE BASE, Idaho -- Capt. Christopher Stricklin ejects
from the USAF Thunderbirds number six aircraft less than a second before
it impacted the ground at an air show at Mountain Home Air Force Base,
Idaho, Sept. 14. Stricklin, who was not injured, ejected after both guiding
the jet away from the crowd of more than 60,000 people and ensuring he
couldn't save the aircraft. This was only the second crash since the
Air Force began using F-16 Falcons for its demonstration team in 1982.
The ACES II ejection seat performed flawlessly.
(U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Bennie J. Davis III)

Text from following wikipedia-site:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:F16_Idaho_airshow.jpg
You'll also find there a breathtaking photo of the ejection.

Cropped image of the same photo on:
http://www.af.mil/shared/media/photodb/photos/040130-F-0000C-002.jpg

Animated gif of last second:
http://www.f-16.net/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&p=7469#7469

Accident report on:
http://www.f-16.net/news_article968.html

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• F-16C
• Block
• 50
• 52
• USAF
• Thunderbirds
• crash
• ejection
• eject
• airshow
• accident

[FightingFalconFilms]

What happened?

[SideWinderVideos]

The pilot mis-calculated his altitude needed (used the wrong airport altitude) and lost an extra 800 feet of altitude needed to do the maneuver correctly and safely. He ejected and lived without injury, but he does not fly for the USAF Thunderbirds anymore.

[FightingFalconFilms]

Ok thats what i thought yea he set his altimeter wrong.

[SideWinderVideos]

No, he miscalculated his altitude, not set his altimeter wrong.

[kingneptune117]

how can you miscalculate...there is no calculating. all you do is look at the altimeter and it tells you. It would be inaccurate if he set it wrong. Besides why dont they just put on radar altitude?

[SideWinderVideos]

@kingneptune117

Not sure their reasoning for radar altitude, but he used the wrong airport altitude to calculate his altitude, so he lost a valuable 900 feet, in result pulling as hard as he can, but still not making a rate of ascent.

[FRforcing]

OMG imagine G-forces with that manuver+ejecting

[rcharding]

Up to this point, the TBs had been using Mean Sea Level altitude instead of actual altitude at the point of flying. This caused Stricklin to be about 300 meters too low. This changed following this accident.

[mrdistraction]

What happened was that Thunderbird #6 piltos calculate the MSL and AGL altitudes to figure out when to roll. Mountain Homes AMSL altitude is 2996 ft and Nellis is 1,867. He supposed to roll 2,500 (now 3,500) above AGL. He used Nellis' altitude so he rolled over too soon.