Pilot error caused the collision of two F-16 fighters on the ground at Kunsan AB, South Korea, in July, according to Pacific Air Forces investigators. Their accident investigation board uncovered “clear and convincing evidence” that a “pilot’s failure to properly monitor his aircraft’s position relative to the aircraft in front of him” led to the July 29 mishap, according to the report of their findings, issued Tuesday. The report also cited a “breakdown in visual scan, task misprioritization, and channelized attention,” as well as overconfidence and exuberance on the pilot’s part as contributing factors. This pilot was fourth in line for takeoff during an operational readiness exercise. He ran into the fighter ahead of him—the third F-16 in line—after failing to notice that the other three aircraft had stopped for a routine pre-flight check. Neither pilot was injured, but the fourth aircraft sustained more than $2 million in damages and the third received damage totalling some $590,000. (PACAF release) (AIB executive summary)
The Space Force should take bold, decisive steps—and soon—to develop the capabilities and architecture needed to support more flexible, dynamic operations in orbit and counter Chinese aggression and technological progress, according to a new report from AFA’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies.
