Accident Summary
On the evening of 8 December 2020, at approximately 19:17 local time, an F-16C fighter aircraft (tail number 86-0317) crashed into a wooded area within the Hiawatha National Forest, Michigan. The aircraft was assigned to the 115th Fighter Wing, operating from Truax Field Air National Guard Base, Wisconsin. The mishap resulted in fatal injuries to the pilot and complete destruction of the aircraft.
Mission and Sequence of Events
The flight was planned as a two-ship night practice Aerospace Control Alert (ACA) mission, which included an air-to-air intercept supported by the Wisconsin Civil Air Patrol acting as a Track of Interest. Due to adverse weather in Green Bay, the CAP aircraft cancelled the intercept portion, and the sortie proceeded as a two-ship practice scramble on a backup instrument profile. Shortly after takeoff, after completing the practice scramble, the pilot observed a global positioning system (GPS) degradation caused by the absence of satellite tracking data. The pilot decided to perform an inflight alignment of the inertial navigation system (INS). While troubleshooting the GPS issue and during the inflight alignment, the formation executed a lead swap. Immediately after a positive change in roles, the mishap aircraft entered instrument meteorological conditions, and the pilot lost visual contact with the wingman. The two aircraft established de-confliction through vertical and horizontal separation. Subsequently, the mishap aircraft entered a series of rapid heading, altitude, and attitude changes. Estimated flight parameters during these maneuvers included a nose-low attitude of up to 90 degrees, a right bank of up to 135 degrees, and airspeeds reaching 600 knots. This sequence ended in an extreme attitude that led to controlled flight into terrain. The pilot did not attempt to eject.
Investigation Findings
The Accident Investigation Board President determined, based on a preponderance of evidence, that the cause of the mishap was the pilot's failure to effectively recover from spatial disorientation. Two substantially contributing factors were identified: fixation and a degraded GPS satellite tracking system. The investigation noted that the combination of night conditions, weather, the use of night vision goggles, low illumination, the aircraft's altitude, attitude, and airspeed, as well as a breakdown in visual scan of the available primary and standby instrumentation, all impacted the pilot's ability to recognize, confirm, and recover from the unusual attitude created by the spatially disorienting event.