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View Full Version : A major "Oops" moment


VladTepes
16th October 2018, 09:33 AM
A technician accidentally triggered an F-16's cannon and blew up another F-16 in Belgium

Yep, you read that right.

The Belgian Air Force is investigating how a technician servicing an F-16 jet fighter triggered its 20mm Vulcan cannon and destroyed another F-16 at the Florennes airfield.

https://edge.alluremedia.com.au/uploads/businessinsider/2018/10/F16-D.jpg



Full article and more photos:
PHOTOS: A technician accidentally triggered an F-16's cannon and blew up another F-16 in Belgium | Business Insider (https://www.businessinsider.com.au/belgium-f16-mechanic-blows-up-another-f16-pics-2018-10)
Eevo
16th October 2018, 09:52 AM
why was it left loaded?
cripesamighty
16th October 2018, 03:51 PM
Was being prepped to go out on a training sortie. Would have needed live rounds if it was a gunnery exercise.
Bigbjorn
16th October 2018, 04:36 PM
Officer, I was only cleaning it and didn't know it was loaded.

or

I was climbing through a fence and snagged the trigger on a barb and shot my mother-in-law in the homestead 400 yards away.
4bee
16th October 2018, 07:26 PM
No wuckin' furries, just claim it on Wesfarmers Business, Belgium.
DiscoMick
17th October 2018, 09:14 AM
Very effective cannon. Think of it as capability testing. [emoji15]
donh54
17th October 2018, 10:24 AM
In all my military training, lesson Number One was "Check Safe!" :rulez:

Regarding the loaded state, most modern fighters apparently are trimmed to allow for a full ammo load in the cannons. Trim is then adjusted as ammo and fuel are used. Forget exactly where I read that, but it was written by someone who should know - possibly a US Navy pilot, I've read a few books by some of them.
austastar
17th October 2018, 12:23 PM
Hi,
Some where in my training on aerial cameras was a warning on test running the camera when the aircraft (Canberra) was loaded with bombs.
Bomb release triggered the camera and vice versa.
Seemed crazy at the time, but I didn't get hands on experience.
I regularly tested gun sight cameras in loaded Sabres and Mirage fighters without that worry.
A story from RAAF Williamstown told of a Mirage being guided to a stop on the flightline and two missiles launching past the ground crew standing in front of it on shutdown.
Would have been in the early 60s.
Cheers