Final report has been posted on the French Military BEA (available in English)
Les rapports des bureaux enquêtes accidents défense
Key finding:
SYNOPSIS
The Hellenic Air Force (HAF) F-16D S/N 93-1084 (here after referred to as the mishap aircraft) of the 341 squadron (SQ), was the number 2 of a 2 aircraft (A/C) formation, taking off for a Tactical Leadership Programme (TLP) Flying Course 2015-1 mission from Albacete Air Force Base (Albacete AFB), Albacete, Spain on 26 January 2015. The mishap A/C crashed at 15:16 local time (14:16 UTC), approximately 7.8 sec after takeoff on runway 27 (RWY 27). The aft seat pilot initiated ejection out of the seat safe ejection envelope. The mishap resulted in the fatal injury of both mishap pilots and the total destruction of the mishap A/C.
The main causes of the mishap were:
- Mishap A/C was not properly trimmed for takeoff as before TAXI, the yaw trim was inadvertent set to maximum right yaw trimming (12o right), drastically affecting the aerodynamics of the aircraft during takeoff.
-Pilot in command conducted the “Before Takeoff” checklist actions in the parking area (ramp E2) approximately 20 min before takeoff.
After Take-off, pilot stick commands and the resultant control surface outputs were insufficient to maintain the A/C in controlled flight.
Impact and the post impact fire led to the destruction or damage of eight (8) additional A/C and caused fatal injuries to nine (9) French Air Force personnel, numerous injuries and significant damages to ground equipment and to Albacete AFB and TLP infrastructure in the vicinity of Ramp E2 and in front of the TLP hangar.