F16 Down near Luke AFB

[Captain Radar....]

Don't think anyone else has mentioned this. F16 crashed near Luke AFB, 2 ejections, 2 walked away. Ear witness reports of engine 'sputtering' prior to the crash.

[RAFEngO74to09]

See here for official updates as they become available:

Luke AFB F-16 crashes, pilots safely eject (http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123354095)

Local TV video here:

F16 fighter jet crashes near Luke Air Force Base; pilots OK | azfamily.com Phoenix (http://www.azfamily.com/news/F16-fighter-jet-crashes-near-Luke-Air-Force-Base-213247641.html)

Press Conference by 56 FW:

F16 fighter jet crashes near Luke Air Force Base; pilots OK | azfamily.com Phoenix (http://www.azfamily.com/news/F16-fighter-jet-crashes-near-Luke-Air-Force-Base-213247641.html)

[500N]

Glad all are OK


A good set of photos on this web site including the Ejection
and the hole in the ground.

F-16 fighter jet crashes near Luke AFB; pilots OK - Philadelphia News, Weather and Sports from WTXF FOX 29 (http://www.myfoxphilly.com/story/22698685/2013/06/26/police-fighter-jet-crashed-near-luke-air-force-base)

[GreenKnight121]

Nice to see the autopilot avoided the school, hospital, retirement home, shopping mall, and all other populated areas after the human pilots ejected. :E

all of a sudden the canopy came off and the two guys ejected out and the plane kept going north," he said.

"Plane ended up turning around on its own with nobody left in it.. came back.. went down south and went nose down right at the end of the runway."

Does the plane have some sort of safety device?

"Something to get it to come back because it was weird to watch it turn all the way around and come back, but if it does, it's a good thing because it was headed for residential neighborhoods," added Hall.

[FFP]

Sounds like a case for drones......:E

In all seriousness, glad they got out ok.

[Robert Cooper]

Glad they all walked away. Could have been worse.

Bob C

[Circuit Clear]

A little surprised to see people around the smoking crash site. How soon would the Hydrazine on board disperse, given the toxicity of the fuel. Sure it would explode, but would it still present a problem?

[500N]

Circuit

Are you talking the civilians or the Emergency staff in Chemical suits
and breathing aparatus ?

The civvies were next to / close by where the plane impacted the ground.

[Circuit Clear]

500N

Certainly within the RAF, when an F-16 diverted in with a problem, (thankfully not often) we always tried to ascertain whether the emergency power had been enabled and thus posed a problem with Hydrazine.
Many years later, I found out that this also was the emergency power source on F-14, F-15, F-18 and the Space Shuttle!! The latter wouldn`t have presented a problem to most RAF and NATO bases!
The Hydrazine risk was/is a huge health hazard especially to Emergency crews attending the aircraft on the airfield. Not just the firemen, but medics, towbar recovery and the ubiquitous FOD plod that ensued. We were all told about it, rarely exercised for it and thankfully over 30 years I never had to witness it.
Maybe the years have weakened the resolve to treat it respectfully.

[Wander00]

Hydrazine? Anyone able to explain briefly or is it classified

[M609]

Fuel used in the F-16s EPU. When EPU is activated (which it is for many inflight emergencies), fire crew in hazmat suit has to check the aircraft for hydrazine leaks ofter landing before anyone can approach the aircraft. There is also a procedure for extracting the pilot on 100% O2 if a leak is present.

For the nations that have use a brake chute on the F-16, that has to be treated as hazmat until the aircraft is checked for leaks as well.

[Wander00]

Thanks - Sounds a bit similar to Iso propyl nitrate that started the Lightning and others.

[Circuit Clear]

Apologies for the non technical description, but Hydrazine is a a highly toxic and dangerous unstable liquid. One of its many uses is in rocket fuel technology and on the above mentioned aircraft is utilized as an Alternate Power unit to provide electrical power.
From my distant memory, there was a flight safety poster on the subject detailing the staccato sound that the device would make when started and the dangers of being downwind from the fumes. Nasty bit of kit but we were never aware of its uses on the rest of the "F" fleet of American aircraft.
One of the photos shows a couple of military personnel looking into the smoking hole! Personally, I wouldn`t go anywhere near it until cleared! Gas masks offer no protection!