Eielson looking into cause of F-16’s in-flight emergency

An F-16 Fighting Falcon takes disconnected from Eielson Air Force Base connected Oct. 15, 2014 during Red Flag-Alaska 15-1. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Peter Reft)

Eielson Air Force Base investigators are looking into nan origin of an in-flight emergency that required an F-16 combatant aviator to jettison nan plane’s substance tanks soon aft taking disconnected from nan guidelines past month. Meanwhile Eielson officials besides are besides preparing to region contaminated ungraded from nan off-base area wherever nan tanks deed nan ground.

Soon aft nan F-16 returned to guidelines connected May 28, Eielson officials began what’s apt to beryllium a six-month process of determining what caused nan aviator to state an in-flight emergency. And to guarantee nan problem doesn’t hap again.

“The main constituent of conducting a information investigation is to forestall early mishaps,” says Master Sgt. Daniel Douglas, nan 354th Fighter Wing’s formation information noncommissioned officer.

Douglas said successful an question and reply past week that he can’t remark connected nan ongoing investigation into nan mishap. But he says it’s an exhaustive process that includes interviewing those involved, examining nan craft and double-checking first findings pinch a 2nd group of experts.

“Safety investigations are very thorough,” he said. “We don’t want to place thing and truthful we springiness each portion of information, each constituent of grounds its owed diligence.”

An Eielson news merchandise says nan F-16 aviator declared an in-flight emergency conscionable aft takeoff and past jettisoned nan plane’s 2 substance tanks, earlier returning to base. Douglas says that’s done to trim nan weight of nan craft and trim consequence of substance further endangering nan aviator and emergency unit connected nan ground. No injuries were reported. The substance tanks deed nan crushed successful an uninhabited area astir a mile and a half westbound of nan guidelines and eastbound of nan Tanana River.

Jettisoned substance tanks fell connected Mental Health Trust Authority land

The tract is connected onshore administered by nan Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority, says Lt. Col. Christopher Higgins, who commands Eielson’s 354th Civil Engineer Squadron.

“It is densely wooded,” he said, “and so, we’ve benignant of cordoned-off that full area.”

Eielson officials asked that nan nonstop location stay confidential, to guarantee nan information astatine nan site. Higgins says nan 1.5-square-mile area includes nan spots wherever nan tanks were recovered and surrounding onshore that besides whitethorn person been contaminated by JP-8 pitchy substance that leaked from nan 2 ruptured 370-gallon tanks aft impact.

“We want to guarantee that we’ve captured each of that fuel,” he said, “so we’ve fixed ourselves a small spot of a buffer to make judge that there’s capable abstraction there.”

The base’s civilian engineers will activity pinch a contractor to clear nan tract and excavate each nan contaminated soil, he said. It’ll past beryllium loaded onto trucks that’ll return it to a installation that treats contaminated materials. That’ll astir apt beryllium nan 1 successful Moose Creek, but that’s still not yet decided.

Higgins says nan cleanup will comply pinch each authorities and national regulations, which besides instruction semipermanent monitoring of nan site.

“I would expect that we will beryllium required to proceed to do follow-on testing for aggregate years,” he said.

Eielson spokesperson Capt. Faith Hirschmann says guidelines officials return their work to protect nan situation seriously.

“We’re really conscionable committed to keeping our airmen and nan organization and everybody safe, while we do our ngo and our training,” she said.

Douglas, nan formation information NCO, says it’ll astir apt return astir six months to complete nan investigation and rumor a last report.