Report: Cockpit fogging led F-16 off Wis. runway

By Brock Vergakis

HAMPTON

A fighter pilot whose cockpit became engulfed in fog briefly experienced vertigo and considered ejecting during a Wisconsin air show when he lost visibility, but ultimately decided to land because he was worried about the safety of hundreds of spectators, according to a report released Tuesday.

The F-16C Falcon landed safely at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, Wis., in July without anyone getting hurt, but not before going off the 8,000-foot runway and coming to a stop about 300 feet into the grass infield, causing severe damage to the jet.

He was extremely concerned about the crowds to the left of the runway along with the other planes," the Air Force investigative report said. "He focused on maintaining control and ruled out ejecting as an option in order to guide the plane safely. Clearly, his attention was centered on completing a safe landing."

The report says the aircraft's environmental control system was responsible for the "extreme fogging" in the cockpit, which completely obscured the Alabama Air National Guard pilot's visual cues and made a normal landing difficult. The pilot unsuccessfully attempted to defog the plane, and without the proper visual cues, didn't apply adequate aerobraking, according to the report. The pilot, who was not named in the report, told Air Force investigators that he never saw the end of the runway approaching.

If not for the lack of visual and instrument references, the pilot could have come to a complete stop on the runway and still had about 1,000 feet of runway remaining, according to the report

The jet was participating in support of a Tuskegee Airman event during the annual Experimental Aircraft Association AirVenture Oshkosh 2011 air show. The report said the plane had been properly maintained.

The report by the Air Combat Command Accident Investigation Board at Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Hampton, Va., said the jet's nose wheel broke off once it hit the infield's soft soil, causing the nose of the plane to hit the ground. It broke off both the nose and avionics bay.

The Air Force estimates the damage to the jet at $5.4 million. There was minimal damage to airport property.

The jet and pilot are assigned to the 100th Fighter Squadron, 187th Fighter Wing at Dannelly Field, Ala.