ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 46636
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| Date: | Monday 21 January 1991 |
| Time: | |
| Type: |  General Dynamics F-16C Fighting Falcon |
| Owner/operator: | 614th TFSqn /401st TFWg USAF |
| Registration: | 87-0224 |
| MSN: | 5C-485 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Persian Gulf, off the coast of Al Jahra Governate, Kuwait/Iraq border -
 Kuwait
|
| Phase: | Combat |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | Al Udeid AFB, Doha, Qatar (XJD/OTBH) |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
Destroyed on combat operations on January 21 1991: A Mk. 84 bomb exploded prematurely as it left the aircraft on a strike mission over Al Jahra Governate, northern Kuwait, on the Kuwait/Iraq border. Pilot, Colonel John Ball, was able to fly the aircraft out over water before ejecting. The US Navy rescued John out of the Persian Gulf waters. Colonel John Ball was the 614th Director of Operations.
Per eyewitness report from one of the ground crew:
"Once the pilots came out of de-breif we got out own, less formal, de-breif in the hangar: They had been attacking a target on the Kuwaiti coastline, under Iraqi SAM and AAA fire, when John Ball, the 614th Ops Officer flying 87-0224, had dropped his Mk. 84 (a two-thousand pound, general purpose 'dumb' bomb) just after coming off of the wing, the bomb detonated and the ton of explosives and shock wave tore through the aircraft. He was able to guide the crashing aircraft back out over the Gulf and eject.
Within a short time he was picked up by a Navy helicopter that hadn't been far away. The rescue helo had transported him to the carrier for medical attention. Immediately an investigation was started concerning out Mk. 84 and their fuses, had the fuse been improperly set by a weapons crew rushed to load bombs during a long shift, or had it been a one in a million accident?
The investigation would tell, but fortunately this time we were getting our guy back. Although we didn't know Jon's condition, it was an incredible weight that had been lifted off of us. To celebrate, instead of dinner at the chow hall that night we went over the the Hardees/KFC, just outside of the Tent City entrance for chicken, and nothing goes better with chicken, than some of that 'special mouthwash' that the guys back in Spain had sent over in the CARE package..."
Sources:
1. http://www.f-16.net/aircraft-database/F-16/airframe-profile/2250/
2. http://web.archive.org/web/20170218120105/http://www.ejection-history.org.uk:80/Aircraft_by_Type/F-16/USAF/f_16_USAF_90s.htm
3. http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1987.html
4. http://www.lucky-devils.net/
5. http://www.dstorm.eu/pages/en/usa/f-16.html
6. http://www.aviationcorner.net/show_photo_en.asp?id=222754
7. http://forum.keypublishing.com/showthread.php?66933-Sixteen-years-ago-where-were-you
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 04-Nov-2008 10:35 | ASN archive | Added |
| 03-Jul-2009 04:45 | Jakub Cikhart | Updated |
| 06-Nov-2013 17:29 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Cn, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Country, Phase, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 06-Nov-2013 17:33 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Narrative] |
| 17-Feb-2021 17:37 | Nepa | Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Departure airport, Operator] |
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