Loss of consciousness by the pilot from high G forces induced during a “planned high-speed turning maneuver” on a training mission caused the crash of an F-16C fighter aircraft 71 miles northwest of Luke AFB, Ariz., on March 14, according to the recently released summary of the investigation into the mishap. The crash killed 2nd Lt. David J. Mitchell, 26, a pilot with the Ohio Air National Guard’s 180th Fighter Wing in Toledo, who was undergoing initial F-16 qualification training at Luke. The aircraft was a total loss at a cost of $21 million. The investigation also found strong evidence that the pilot’s failure to perform an effective muscle-tightening and breathing procedure to ensure sufficient blood flow to the brain during the maneuver caused the loss of consciousness.
In his first professional move since retiring from the Space Force at the end of August, former Chief of Space Operations Gen. B. Chance Saltzman will lead the board of advisors for Voyager Technologies, the firm announced Nov. 2.