Tulsa Air National Guard F-16 Jettisons Fuel Tanks Over Grady County

An F-16 jet fighter dropped two fuel tanks in an open field just north of Chickasha before making an emergency landing at Will Rogers World Airport Tuesday afternoon.

Tuesday, August 10th 2010, 5:18 pm

By: News 9


News9.com

CHICKASHA, Oklahoma -- The 138th Fighter Wing in Tulsa is sending a team of aircraft mechanics to Oklahoma City to find out what caused an engine problem in an F-16 fighter jet Tuesday afternoon, which forced the pilot to jettison two fuel tanks onto a field before making an emergency landing at Will Rogers World Airport.

According to a news release from the Guard, the single-seat jet was on a training mission near Fort Sill just after 3 p.m. August 10 when it started having engine problems.  The pilot declared an emergency and jettisoned two 325-gallon external fuel tanks over an unpopulated area near the town of Amber. 

Lieutenant Colonel Robin Cavanaugh, the public affairs officer for the 138th Fighter Wing, said the pilot followed a checklist for an in-flight engine problem, which called for him to find an unpopulated area and jettison the fuel tanks.  They were empty, but dropping them greatly reduced aerodynamic drag on the aircraft making it easier for the pilot to make a safe landing. 

"We're very happy that no one was hurt and that the pilot was able to land safely," said Lieutenant Colonel Cavanaugh.

Cavanaugh said Wednesday afternoon the tanks have been removed from the field and will be brought back to Tulsa.  She said they will not be a focus of the investigation because they did not play a direct role in the emergency.

The Guard says the single-seat F-16C was not carrying live ordinance.  The Guard says no one on the ground was injured and it believes no property damage occurred.  Witnesses said the tanks came close to landing on the H.E. Bailey Turnpike in Grady County.

Hazmat crews were called out to the field to inspect the tanks and clean up any spilled fuel.

Two years ago, an F-16 based in Tulsa dropped a practice bomb onto a Tulsa apartment building just after taking off for a training mission at a Kansas bombing range.

10/31/2008 Related Story: Dummy Bomb Report Released

The final report from that incident concluded the pilot had no way of knowing for sure that the small practice bomb had fallen off his aircraft until he landed at Tulsa.  But the Air Force refused to reveal exactly what led to that mishap or what the Air Force did to keep it from happening again.

The Guard says the Air Force will assign an incident investigation team to determine the cause of the engine problems in Tuesday's incident.  It typically takes many months for an investigation team to release its report.

The pilot's identity has not been released.  Lieutenant Colonel Cavanaugh said he will not be allowed to discuss the incident with anyone until he speaks to the investigation board.  She said the type of board appointed for the investigation will depend on the dollar figure the Air Force determines the incident cost.

 

 

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