The Air Force blamed engine failure one hour after takeoff for the May 4 crash of an F-16C Falcon west of Hill AFB, Utah.
The service said in a statement the cause of the mishap was failure of the number 17 blade in the first stage fan of the engine. Cracking along the anomaly in the number 17 fan blade and eight years of operating fatigue attributed to the engine failure. As a result, the blade broke free from its supporting structure and caused “catastrophic” damage to the engine fan, compressor and turbines.
The Air Force said the president of the Air Combat Command Accident Investigation Board found the anomaly formed during a manufacturing process and, therefore, failure to detect the anomaly during the installation inspection process in 2004 “substantially” contributed to the mishap.
The service said the pilot was able to eject before crashing. The aircraft was destroyed upon impact with a loss valued at $23.9 million.
The Air Force said the pilot was conducting a close-air-support training mission in a two-ship formation during an operational readiness exercise. The mishap jet and pilot are assigned to the 421st Fighter Squadron, 388th Fighter Wing at Hill.
The F-16C is developed by Lockheed Martin [LMT].