Greek F-16 Crashes in Spain 10 dead

news.sky.com...

The day after the Greek election this happens ,too much on the money saving, cutting corners etc recently? F-16 lost power immediately after take off I have not heard of this in F-16s before and the Greeks have Block 50/52s which are pretty high spec (but pricey on parts I would guess)for Export.

I'm sure Zaph will be able to confirm any previous F-16 power losses.

Rip to the dead and prayers to the injured.

It would be a very highly unusual occurrence if indeed it was a Block 50/52. The following are F-16 variants in service with the HAF:

32 C/D Block 30

39 C/D Block 50,
55 C/D Block 52+
30 C/D Block 52M

a reply to: Mehmet666Heineken

It was a 2 seater (although the sky report file picture shows a single seater) So would be a D I think , even if was a Block 30 I havn't heard of this type of failure before ,The F-16 is really reliable like all military planes it's not perfect relibility but not bad at all.

a reply to: kuhl

I don't think they call it "the lawn dart" for nothing....

originally posted by: kuhl
a reply to: Mehmet666Heineken

It was a 2 seater (although the sky report file picture shows a single seater) So would be a D I think , even if was a Block 30 I havn't heard of this type of failure before ,The F-16 is really reliable like all military planes it's not perfect relibility but not bad at all.

Yeah definitely odd and unfortunate. This is why I am amazed the F-35 program took a single engine approach. Once the engine fails, the bird is cooked. Perhaps others will be able to shed more light on these things in the coming hours/days.

Zaph may correct me but I remember him mentioning some of the airframes of the legacy craft showing signs of ware and tare even in the states.


With the greeks in such a finacial crisis im going to guess a tragic mix of a worn out aircraft and poor mantinance.

a reply to: Shamrock6

Yeah teething problems but the Block 30s have GE 110 not Pratt & Whitneys 100 which I think inspired this nick name but I am no expert.Thanks for the post though I'm just a die hard F-16 fan

a reply to: crazyewok

I'm sure Zaph will be along soon enough with all the facts needed, He Knows how much I'm into F-16s but I know no where near as much as him .

a reply to: kuhl

Nah you're correct. There were some pretty great quotes and mottos that came out thanks to the PW engines.

Personally I'm a fan of any aerial platform that puts steel on target

a reply to: Shamrock6

Cheers

F16 Mishaps Greek

Seems there is a Block 30 lost already but through a bird collision

A bird would be my first guess. Suck a goose down the intake and you would have a distinct lack of power.

a reply to: Mehmet666Heineken

Why? The 50/52 is just as vulnerable to problems as any other variant.

a reply to: crazyewok

It was 25% of the US fleet total, but it was the older aircraft, not the Block 50/52. Those are still fairly new, and are in good shape.

It currently stands at 10 dead and 21 injured.

Five aircraft and "numerous" helicopters suffered various amounts of damage, with at least one Alpha Jet appearing to be destroyed. Emergency crews were initially not allowed to respond, due to fears the fuel tanks in the aircraft could explode.

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: Mehmet666Heineken

Why? The 50/52 is just as vulnerable to problems as any other variant.

In terms of low hours on the airframe, a newer more capable engine?

Also would you happen to know about any Block 50/52/60 crashes ? I've never heard of one crashing. Was the cause of this crash a bird or technical? Perhaps even pilot error as the Greeks have had to reduce their flying hours ?

I'm an aircraft enthusiast of all types, I abhor war but if poo ever hit the fan I'd rather stand behind NATO 100% than Russia/China or anyone else. Just thought I'd throw that in there, don't want to be perceived as a war mongerer

a reply to: Mehmet666Heineken

Quite a few actually. They've lost at least four just in Japan, Turkey has lost at least one.

www.f-16.net...

That's the most complete list I've found.

A French airman died in a Spanish hospital. He suffered severe burns in the fire after the crash.

Eight US personnel suffered minor injuries, and one of the three F-15E aircraft the US sent is known to have suffered damage. At least one of the other two was parked near the crash site, but crews haven't been allowed into the area yet to inspect it.

A series of bad luck events led to the whole thing. The F-16 suffered an undisclosed mechanical problem causing a power loss on takeoff. The crew immediately and unsuccessfully initiated the ejection process.

Instead of coming down straight ahead as you would expect, the aircraft immediately rolled to the right, and impacted the NATO parking area.

One of the French pilots killed was sitting in the cockpit of the destroyed Alpha Jet reviewing charts and flight plans. The pilot that was supposed to fly in the back with him, had returned to the briefing room, because he forgot his charts and wasn't injured.