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.
Air Force depots are not typically meant for quick repair jobs, but during Operation Epic Fury, the service moved some of its stateside heavy maintenance capability forward to fix battle-damaged aircraft closer to the fight.
