Last Updated on April 23, 2020 by CCAR Staff
A loss of hydraulic pressure prevented the pilot of the Air National Guard’s F-16 that crashed near March Air Reserve Base last year from controlling the jet, the U.S. Air Force says in a report.
The pilot ejected and parachuted onto a base runway on May 16, 2019, suffering minor injuries. The $24 million Fighting Falcon plummeted through the roof of a warehouse, destroying the jet and causing a small fire.
Twelve people in the warehouse were treated for exposure to the debris, the Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department said at the time.
The 22-page report, dated April 14, said two inlet-check valves were improperly installed, resulting in damage to them that caused hydraulic fuel to leak.
The valves were part of a flight-control system that was overhauled in January 2019 and installed in the jet after a possible hydraulic leak was discovered several months later.
“The evidence also indicated an inadequate overhaul process that lacked an effective procedure to identify improper installation of ISA check valves,” the report says.
The F-16 was one of two jets initially practicing 120 miles east of March, which sits on the Riverside-Moreno Valley border. The planes were returning to March when the one jet lost hydraulic pressure.
The pilot burned off fuel before ejecting, the report says.
The F-16 was assigned to the 114th Fighter Wing at Joe Foss Field in South Dakota and ran some missions for the 144th Fighter Wing at March.
This story is developing. Please check back for updates.
