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Hill F-16 Downed by Mechanical Failure


Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org

An Air Combat Command accident investigation board found that the bearing assembly of the No. 4 engine on an F-16 that crashed in Utah last March failed, leading to a compressor stall, vibrations, and loss of thrust. The pilot ejected safely after deciding he wasn’t close enough to glide to the nearest airfield. He restarted the engine once but had such poor engine thrust he couldn’t maintain level flight.

Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org