ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 46646
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| Date: | Saturday 1 December 1990 |
| Time: | 17:46 UTCulu |
| Type: |  General Dynamics F-16C Fighting Falcon |
| Owner/operator: | 310th TFTSqn /58th TFTWg USAF |
| Registration: | 88-0461 |
| MSN: | 1C-63 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Plant 42, Palmdale, Antelope Valley, California -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | Luke AFB, Arizona (LUF/KLUF) |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
Crashed 1 December 1990 at Palmdale, Antelope Valley, California (approx 60 miles from Los Angeles, at approximate co-ordinates 34°37′46″N, 118°05′04″W) onto the ramp next to Plant 42 (where the B-2 was being manufactured). The pilot ejected safely.
This was a so-called "piddle pack" accident where a buckle/flight control system interaction occurred after a urination break. The pilot unstrapped at 27,000 feet and initiated the ejection at 1,500 feet agl. The pilot was unbelted on ejection.
Per a contemporary newspaper report:
"Published: March 24, 1991.
Air Force documents show that a $20 million F-16 that crashed near here on Dec. 1 went out of control after the pilot paused to urinate into a plastic pouch during a routine training flight.
The pilot, Captain Craig Fisher, a veteran flight instructor, told crash investigators that he had been unable to regain control of the jet even when he switched the plane to its backup flight control system, according to the documents, which were obtained by The Los Angeles Daily News through a legally enforceable request under the Federal Freedom of Information Act.
Captain Fisher parachuted to safety after the jet had dropped from an altitude of 28,000 feet to 7,400 feet. The jet crashed near the Palmdale Air Terminal"
Sources:
1. Flight International 8-14 May 1991
2. http://www.f-16.net/aircraft-database/F-16/airframe-profile/2698/
3. http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1988.html
4. http://www.dreamlandresort.com/black_projects/plant42.htm
5. http://web.archive.org/web/20170421194629/http://www.ejection-history.org.uk:80/PROJECT/YEAR_Pages/1990.htm#dec
6. http://pbadupws.nrc.gov/docs/ML0301/ML030170558.pdf
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plant_42
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 04-Nov-2008 10:35 | ASN archive | Added |
| 19-Dec-2008 11:59 | harro | Updated |
| 06-Nov-2013 03:02 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Cn, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Phase, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 23-Nov-2020 18:02 | Anon. | Updated [Operator, Operator] |
| 16-Feb-2021 10:17 | Nepa | Updated [Aircraft type, Operator] |
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