Hill probes F-16 incident
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Tuesday, April 15, 2008
By JaNAE FRANCIS
Standard-Examiner staff
jfrancis@standard.net
Jet fires on occupied SUV during training; soldiers survive
HILL AIR FORCE BASE -- Two soldiers in a sport utility vehicle escaped serious injury when an F-16 fighter jet opened fire and destroyed the vehicle during a night training exercise at the Utah Test and Training Range in Utah's West Desert.
\"The vehicle was strafed with 20 mm munitions,\" said Lt. Beth Woodward, a Hill Air Force Base spokeswoman. \"The vehicle was hit by the strafe. Fortunately, the Army personnel were able to bail out of the vehicle. They weren't hit but were injured as they bailed out.\"
The SUV was in part of the range where the Air Force uses live ammunition in mock combat. Woodward said it was not clear whether the soldiers were supposed to be in the area when the pilot fired around 11 p.m. April 8.
Air Force investigators have closed part of the range as they investigate the incident.
The vehicle, described by the Air Force as a Joint Tactical Air Controller vehicle, was being driven by two Army soldiers from Ft. Lewis, Wash., according to a Hill Air Force Base news release.
Woodward said the vehicles are driven by special operations airmen assigned to ground units to communicate with pilots in training missions. She said those in the ground units help the pilots guide munitions to targets.
She said the base has hosted numerous units such as the one involved in the incident since the beginning of the year. She said such units arrive at the training range every week.
Providing this air power, as called upon by ground units, is known as close air support and is a key role for the Air Force in Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, states a Hill Air Force Base news release.
\"Close air support is a complex mission,\" Col. Scott Dennis, 388th Fighter Wing commander, said in the news release.
\"During training, our pilots navigate the UTTR's desert terrain and simulated roads and buildings with the help of JTACs for realistic practice before deployment to a combat zone.
\"One incident like this is too many,\" Dennis said. \"While war fighting is a dangerous line of work, we take exhaustive measures to train safely and smartly in preparation for our combat deployments.\"
The commander convened a board to investigate the incident and to prevent future occurrences on the range, states the release.
Woodward said a report from the investigation will be available to the public in about a month.
A November story in the Standard-Examiner stated that Hill's 388th and 419th Fighter Wing pilots had been conducting regular night-flying missions.
\"Night flying has become mainstream during the past 15 years or so -- basically after Desert Storm,\" said Lt. Col. Paul Schmidt, a pilot with Hill's 388th Fighter Wing, in the November story.
\"We have requirements to train at night because we fully expect to deploy at night in combat,\" he said.
At that time, Schmidt discussed new capabilities that came about largely through a $2 billion-plus Air Force F-16 upgrade program called the Common Configuration Implementation Program.
The program, started in September 2001, provides enhanced mission capabilities and a common avionics configuration to about 650 Block 40, 42, 50 and 52 Air Force and Air National Guard F-16s.
Other recent Utah mishaps that occurred during Air Force flight training follow:
Feb. 5, 1997 -- An F-16 crashes 10 miles northeast of Wendover. Both pilots, Maj. Edward G. Goggins, of Layton, and Capt. Marc C. Snyder, of Hill's 419th Fighter Wing, manage to eject before impact, suffering minor injuries.
Jan. 7, 1998 -- Mock war games over the Utah Test and Training Range turn real when two F-16s collide in midair. One pilot, Capt. Paul Hertzberg, jettisons from his crippled fighter before it crashes. The second pilot, Capt. Scott Hufford, stays in his plane and is able to land it safely at Michael Army Airfield at Dugway.
Jan. 8, 1998 -- The 388th Fighter Wing halts flying operations after an F-16 crashes 50 miles north of the base in the second incident involving an F-16 in two days. The pilot escapes with only minor injuries.
March 23, 1998 -- The pilot of an F-16C ejects after his plane catches fire while coming in for a landing at Hill Air Force Base. Lt. Col. John Burgess receives minor injuries.
June 19, 1998 -- An F-16 fighter crashes on takeoff at Hill Air Force Base. The pilot, Capt. Bryan K. Nordheim, ejects safely.
Nov. 9, 1998 -- Maj. Gregory Martineac, of the 388th Fighter Wing, dies when his F-16 crashes west of Great Salt Lake while on a training mission, the first fatal crash in seven years.
Oct. 18, 2001 -- The pilot of an F-16 from the 388th Fighter Wing ejects while taking off from Hill Air Force Base. The plane was damaged, the pilot receives only minor injuries.
Oct. 25, 2002 -- Two aircraft from the 388th Fighter Wing collide while practicing air combat drills over the Utah Test and Training Range. One pilot is rescued in good condition. The body of 1st Lt. Jorma D. Huhtala was recovered the next day. It was the first pilot death since 1998.
Nov. 13, 2002 -- Pilot Lt. Col. Dillon F. McFarland, 40, dies after his F-16C crashes at the Utah Test and Training Range. The crash occurred as McFarland flew as part of a four-plane formation.
March 30, 2006 -- Pilot 1st Lt. Jay Baer, a Fighting Falcon pilot assigned to the 388th Fighter Wing's 421st Fighter Squadron, safely ejects from his single-seat F-16 when his aircraft experienced a malfunction. He survived with minor injuries.
Updated Tuesday, April 15, 2008 at 12:20 a.m.
F-16 pilot fires on SUV while training
HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah (AP) — Two soldiers in a sport utility vehicle escaped when an F-16 fighter jet opened fire and destroyed the SUV during a night training exercise in Utah.
A Hill Air Force Base spokeswoman says the soldiers suffered minor injuries when they jumped out of the vehicle at the Utah Test and Training Range. They were not hit by any of the 20 mm rounds fired by the pilot on April 8.
The SUV was in part of the range where the Air Force uses live ammunition in mock combat. Lt. Beth Woodward says it was not clear whether the soldiers were supposed to be in the area when the pilot fired.
Air Force investigators have closed part of the range as they investigate the incident.
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![[shock]](./images/smilies/anim_shock.gif "Shock")
Glad the troops are OK.
