Pilot error and a malfunctioning Collins Aerospace's [RTX] Advanced Concept Ejection Seat II (ACES II) contributed to a June 30 fatal crash of a Lockheed Martin [LMT] F-16CM at Shaw AFB, S.C., per an Air Combat Combat Command (ACC) Accident Investigation Board (AIB) report. 32-year-old Air Force 1st Lt. David Schmitz, assigned to the 77th Fighter Squadron at Shaw, was piloting the F-16CM during his first nighttime suppression of enemy air defenses training flight and his first attempt at air-to-air…
