Incident General Dynamics F-16C 85-1496,
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ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 46596
 
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Date:Thursday 23 January 1992
Time:05:27 LT
Type:Silhouette image of generic F16 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different    
General Dynamics F-16C
Owner/operator:13th FS, 432nd FW, USAF
Registration: 85-1496
MSN: 5C-276
Fatalities:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage: Destroyed
Location:Pacific Ocean, 630 miles E of Atsugi JMSDF AB, Kanagawa Prefecture -   Japan
Phase: En route
Nature:Military
Departure airport:Misawa AB, Aomori Prefecture (MSJ/RJSM)
Destination airport:Hickam AFB, Hawaii (HNL/PHNL)
Confidence Rating: Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources
Narrative:
Written off 23 January 1992 when collided with a tanker aircraft (KC-135R 61-0284 of the 92nd Wing). The F-16 went down in the Pacific Ocean, 630 miles east of Atsugi Japanese Marine Self Defense Force Air Base, Yamato, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. The pilot, Captain John L. Dolan, ejected safely and was rescued by an amphibious US-1A of 71st Koukuutai, JMSDF based at Atsugi Air Base.

Per the following (albeit redacted/censored) extract from the summary of the official USAF report into the incident:

"On 23 January 1992, ten F-16C aircraft from the 432nd FW, 13th FS, were scheduled to deploy from Misawa AB, Japan, to Tyndall AFB, Florida, with an intermediate stop at Hickam AFB, Hawaii.

That deployment, "Coronet West 30", was under the operational control (OPCON) of the 2nd Aircraft Delivery Group (ADG), Detachment 6 (Det 6), and was supported by four tankers (two KC-135s and two KC-10s) under the OPCON of the 15th Air Force.

The tanker units were: KC-135A, 379 WG, Wurtsmith AFB, MI, Strategic Air Command (SAC); KC-135R, 92 WG, Fairchild AFB, WA, SAC; KC-10, 2 WG. Barksdale AFB, LA, SAC; and KC-10, 4 WG, Seymour Johnson AFB. NC. Tactical Air Command (TAC).

As a result of a KC-10 ground abort, only one cell of two tankers (Pro 61-62) and five primary fighters (Clan 31-35) plus two air spares (Clan 36 and 45) launched. Scheduled take off time was 03:00 (local=Zone India (D)); actual takeoff was 03:21. After completing the second AAR, the two tankers developed converging flight paths and altitudes.

During collision avoidance manoeuvres by tankers and fighters, Pro 62, the cell lead KC-135R, collided with Clan 33, an F-16 flying on the left wing of Pro 61, the 4 WG KC-10. Clan 33's aircraft was uncontrollable as a result of damage from the collision, and the pilot successfully ejected at approximately 15,000 ft above mean sea level (AMSL), 625 NM east of Tokyo at 05:27. Pro 62 received damage to his left wing and successfully recovered at Yokota AB at 08:40.

The downed pilot. Captain John L. Dolan, 13th FS, was rescued by a JMSDF seaplane at 10:04 and arrived at Yokota AB at 13:50. All remaining aircraft returned to Misawa AB."

Sources:

1. http://www.f-16.net/aircraft-database/F-16/airframe-profile/1852/
2. http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1985.html
3. http://web.archive.org/web/20170218120105/http://www.ejection-history.org.uk:80/Aircraft_by_Type/F-16/USAF/f_16_USAF_90s.htm
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_Air_Facility_Atsugi
5. http://pbadupws.nrc.gov/docs/ML0302/ML030290451.pdf

Revision history:

Date/timeContributorUpdates
04-Nov-2008 10:35 ASN archive Added
08-Nov-2013 19:09 Dr. John Smith Updated [Date, Time, Cn, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Country, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
08-Nov-2013 19:13 Dr. John Smith Updated [Time, Narrative]

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