The Crash
On May 6th, 2023, at approximately 0927L, a U.S. F-16c crashed into farmland near Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, 60 kilometers south of Seoul, shortly after take-off. The United States Air Force has now released the findings of its investigation which has found the F-16c crashed due to electrical power failure and weather conditions. The announcement reads below:
“An F-16C assigned to the 8th Fighter Wing at Kunsan AB, ROK, crashed May 6, 2023, at 9:27 a.m. local Korea Standard Time, due to a partial electrical power loss and weather conditions. While in the clouds, approximately 11 seconds after takeoff, a partial electrical power loss resulted in an inaccurate horizon, or attitude, information being indicated by the flying instruments with no failure indications. The pilot was unable to determine where the horizon was located.”
The Investigation
According to the investigation, a partial power loss degraded the accuracy of the Primary Flight Display which indicated the aircraft altitude, attitude, and horizon indicator. This failure of equipment inside of the clouds so close to the ground caused the pilot to become severely disoriented at which time they chose to eject. The combination of the instrument flight conditions, and the failure of the PFD provided a perfect storm which would have made recovery extremely difficult for the pilot. The investigation board found that had either the weather conditions or equipment malfunction been absent from the scenario, the pilot would have probably been able to recover.