US pilot killed in F-16 fighter jet crash in Afghanistan

[M.harris]

A U.S. military pilot was killed when his F-16 fighter jet crashed while on a night flight over mountainous terrain in Afghanistan, officials said Thursday.

There was no indication of enemy fire in the area at the time of the Wednesday’s crash, in the east of the country.

“While the cause of the crash is under investigation, initial reporting indicates there was no insurgent activity in the area at the time of the crash,” an official with the U.S.-led international coalition, ISAF, said in a statement.

While there have been F-16 accidents and even one deadly crash recently - one crashed into the Adriatic earlier this year- such an incident is very rare in Afghanistan, where helicopters are more at risk.

Meanwhile, officials in the country’s Ghazni province said 6 people were killed, including four local police force members, by a NATO airstrike on Wednesday evening.

The Afghan Local Police (ALP) were attacked while patrolling in the village of Sulaimanzai, in the district of Deh Yak.
US pilot killed in F-16 fighter jet crash in Afghanistan - World News

 

[PITA]

Rest in peace

 

[Thorough Pro]

Wondering why he couldn't eject? Don't they go out in two-team normally?

 

[ExtraOdinary]

RIP.............

 

[ejaz007]

Sad news. RIP brave soul.

 

[Sam1980]

Wondering why he couldn't eject? Don't they go out in two-team normally?

Some pilots prefer to go with their planes. There is also a small chance that ejection seat might have malfunctioned.

 

[Parul]

Rest in peace....

 

[OrionHunter]

Wondering why he couldn't eject? Don't they go out in two-team normally?

Yep! That's intriguing. Upgraded F-16s used in Afghanistan are equipped with automatic ground collision-avoidance system or Auto-GCAS.

Engineers blended GPS/inertial navigation inputs, a digital terrain database, a radar altimeter, and the AFTI F-16s autopilot with an Aircraft Response Model (ARM) to create a full-envelope, automatic ground collision avoidance system. The block 50 F-16 Terrain-Referenced Navigation System provides a "position" input to help a new algorithm decide what nearby terrain could present a hazard to the aircraft. Based on the fighter's maneuvering attitude at any given moment, a specific area of the terrain database is "scanned," and elevation information is compressed into a 2D model.

The computer determines how much time is available before the aircraft will break through a pilot-selected minimum descent altitude (MDA), then triggers an autopilot- commanded protective maneuver. Typically, two chevrons (><) appear in the head-up display 5 sec. prior to an automatic fly-up, warning the pilot that Auto-GCAS is about to take over. If he takes no action, the chevrons move toward each other until their points meet, a flashing "break-X" symbol appears in the HUD and an aural warning annunciates, "Fly-up! Fly-up!"

The system commands a maximum angle-of-attack recovery, if flight conditions will not sustain a 5g pull-up. When the flight path is pointed above threatening terrain, the Auto-GCAS disengages and announces, "You got it!" If aircraft speed is insufficient to climb adequately during a pull-up, the system also will announce, "Power! Power!", urging the pilot to push the throttle forward and gain airspeed.

Now how and why the F-16 went into the mountainside without warning is inexplicable.