Belgian F-16AM FA-99 crashed.

[viper810]

http://www.hbvl.be/limburg/peer/f16-nee ... rogel.aspx

Short Translation: The F-16 took of at 14:44LT for a trainingflight.
During arrival he would practise a low flightby.
The tower saw there was fire came out of the engine.
The pilot ejected safely.
The pilot was found on 15:55 in a tree.
The defence think it was caused by a birdstrike.

[Greg]

I was debriefing a student I had worked with on another sector so I wasn't controlling when it happened, but my colleagues told there wasn't any sign of a problem when the aircraft was handed over by us to Kleine Brogel Approach. A bird strike is the only logical reason I can think of...

Very sad but so glad the pilot got out okay.

[Greg]

Short news article in English: http://www.deredactie.be/cm/vrtnieuws.e ... lane_Crash

[james84]

Glad the pilot got out safely. The article posted by Viper says he is just 24, quite young!

[Greg]

The article posted by Viper says he is just 24, quite young!

It was a "BASIC" so a student pilot from the OCU. What a way to start your career on F-16 eh.

[viper810]

Shit happens. Don't blame the pilot. This can also happen with an experienced pilot.

[james84]

Shit happens. Don't blame the pilot. This can also happen with an experienced pilot.

At all! I didn't want to blame the pilot, definitely you cannot have control on a birdstrike!
He is 4 years younger than me, and if he is flying such a performing and complicated machine it means he is good enough to deserve it!

[Greg]

Nobody's blaming the pilot, Viper. Relax

It's his age that is remarkable, as Giacomo said. And the fact of having had your first ejection at 24, even before you're in an operational squadron.