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Technician Accidentally Sets off an F-16 Cannon Blows Up Another F-16

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A technician Accidentally Sets off an F-16 Cannon Blows Up Another F-16 at the Florennes Air Base on October 11. A technician in one of the F-16s accidentally hit the metaphorical big red button and activated its six-barreled Vulcan M16A-1 cannon. A F-16 had recently been fully fueled for a training run, and the bullets hit the gas tank. (jalopnik.com) さらに...

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darthsloth
Mike R 1
Does anyone remember when an F16 on live fire training strafed a New Jersey elementary school? I've searched all over but can't find photos of the damage.
carlsonj
Have Google, will travel.

https://www.foxnews.com/story/f-16-accidentally-fires-on-school
https://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/05/nyregion/warplane-strafes-a-school-in-new-jersey.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strafing_of_the_Little_Egg_Harbor_Intermediate_School
http://www.f-16.net/f-16-news-article1241.html
darthsloth
Mike R 1
Thanks, but as I said "I've searched all over but can't find PHOTOS of the damage." The links you posted lead to text only articles. I've tried Google for this story before and it hasn't been my friend.
carlsonj
Oops; you're right. Photos are hard to find. The only one I found was from a distance showing the police tape.

https://www.deseretnews.com/article/595108561/Accidental-strafing-divides-NJ-area.html
darthsloth
Mike R 2
No problem. The discussion motivated me to do some more looking. From what I scanned over on other forums it seems that the rounds were just solid projectiles, nothing incendiary, so the damage to the building may not have been very photogenic.
oldfolkie
Presumably he is now a “former” technician.
E1craZ4life
This isn't the first time something like this has happened.
bigbill3111
A good friend of mine retired after many years in the Air Force. He was in the fire and rescue dept. Told me about a guy with a screwdriver in his pocket working in the cockpit of a plane in a hanger. Went to get out and the screwdriver hung up in the ejection handle. Said they pretty much had to use a spatula to get him off the ceiling of the hanger.
aghume
Alan Hume -1
I think this may be just another aberration of that new devil infiltrating our media these days ... fake news! I can't see how this could have possibly occurred as reported. There are too many built-in safeguards to prevent this sort of thing happening when a modern day fighter jet is sitting on the ramp.
sgbelverta
I hate to say this, but could there possibly be a design flaw? Engineers make perfect plans all the time that don't take into account humans. A button whose placement makes perfect sense on paper is right in the way of where a human will logically put his/her hand while working. Anyone who's taken apart a PC will tell you that to replace or upgrade memory involves ripping apart all of the PC's innards. Great engineering, lousy ability to work on the product.
peterlmaas2
Safety First !!!! Good thing that technician wasn't working in the Oval Office where President Trump has a RED BUTTON on his desk.
bfambrough
That does it. Effective immediately, Dick's Sporting Goods will no longer sell Vulcan cannons. It's for the children.
edb4pax
This is obviously a self-inspired story from a self-inspired “journalist”. Poor spelling and even worse grammer marks this as comedic story-telling. No military aviation would allow a loaded and active gun pod on a fueled aircraft sitting on a parking ramp. THEN, there is the disregard in this fantasy report for interlocks and safeties: Armament systems cannot be armed, much less fired, while the landing gear are down and bearing weight. Finally, there’s the issue of safery pins and their highly visible flags. And what about the accompanying photo that screams “amatuer”.

Nope- somebody snookered the news publication that printed this tripe and, unfortunately, FlighAware.
carlsonj
Depending on your political leaning you can select among these alternative sources for essentially the same story. You're welcome.

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/16-accidentally-blown-belgian-air-force-mechanic/story?id=58562311
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/10/14/belgian-mechanic-accidentally-destroys-f-16-fighter-jet-cannon/
http://www.f-16.net/f-16-news-article5127.html
https://www.rt.com/news/441017-f-16-aircraft-explodes-belgium/
https://twitter.com/BeAirForce/status/1050394683007008768
https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=216189
https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2018/10/16/belgian-air-force-mechanic-opens-fire-by-mistake-blows-up-another-f-16/
https://fox61.com/2018/10/15/belgian-f16-destroyed-due-to-accidental-cannon-firing/
stubruins
Ed,
"Grammar"
"Amateur"
Be careful in that glass house of yours.
8literbeater
Don't forget "FlightAware".
lynx318
lynx318 2
Maybe first thing in maintenance should be back ordinance out of load chutes.
glstemen
Shades of John McCain.......
PDLanum
Stop lying.
The A-4 next to John McCain's aircraft was hit by the Zuni rocket that came from a F-4. John McCain was on the receiving side of the missile.

Your perpetuation of misleading and false statements just makes you look like a fool and a troll.
SteveDietrich
Amen - Few remember that the LA Times and other national papers came out with a story, just prior to the election where McCain was running that he was a reckless pilot who had destroyed 3 airplanes ( 1 engine came apart in flight, the flight deck catastrophe where a missile hit his airplane and a lucky shot by a N Viet gunner that sent him to the Hanoi Hilton)
jacken
jacken 4
Thankfully, the weapons test went without a hitch.
JULESY
Tragic, and perfectly avoidable, and something like this will happen again, guaranteed, while humans are involved. And there was I thinking that this was a serious discussion forum, yet many of the smart ass comments disprove that silly notion.
joelwiley
It is a forum for serious discussion. Just a low signal to noise level in recent times.
SteveDietrich
How to prevent

Don't mess around in a jet with the power on and the cannon loaded.
aaasen
Directorate has opened an investigation to see what, exactly, they can do to make sure something like this doesn’t happen again, possibly with even worse results.

Sounds like typical bureaucrats when they get done the results could be worse.
Flightdog
Said the mechanic, "DOH!"
allanrbowman
Who says it was accidental? Oops or gotcha?
alchemyiam
Hey it`s good news for the US arms industry - 2 new sales on the way.....
basstrumpeter
When F16 cannons are outlawed only outlaws will have F16 cannons.
johngc74
WOW. That's the name of the signal (Weight On Wheels) that, among other things, kept the guns from firing when the F16 was on the ground. It must not be that way anymore.
7765goldman
3 more and he's an "ace".
A6SEA
WOG Switch. Weight on Gear. Can be disabled. For example when doing ground gear checks. So, I would think that the only way a gun could be fired on the ground would be to disable the switch. Unless you're an Aircraft Carrier and back up the starter unit next to the head of a Sidewinder. That was very costly....
RexBentley
If anything can go wrong it will go wrong. Murphy is alive and well and still with us!
joelwiley
Murphy was an optimist.
Jtruth777
This is my story and I’m sticken to it.
carlsonj
"Cannon ground-tested operational. 11-OCT-2018. Joe Mechanic, #1234567, /s/"
topgunnh
In the words of Steve Erkel "Did I do that?"
garymessinetti
This is not supposed to happen if the gear is down as there is a switch to prevent the gun from firing!
SteveDietrich
Just when you think you have made something idiot proof Darwin sends the uprated idiot
joelwiley
According to the vendor's manual, this can't happen.
Right!
AWAAlum
AWAAlum 0
I thin it's not supposed to happen for more reasons than that.
nancysbob
Could this have been for a new State Farm commercial? "Been there. Covered that."
engrdave
That's Farmers, not State Farm.
Albritton43
...said the technician
cspaugh
cspaugh 5
We. Are. Belgians. Bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah!
n101wb
Only 4 to go and this guy will be an Ace.
7765goldman
3 to go. Gets credit for his too.
joelwiley
Own goals also count.
pagheca
pagheca 2
aviation math: F16 - F16= Zero
alan75035
That'll buff right out.
jbsimms
A little Bondo, bailing wire, chewing gum, & elbow grease ought to do it
carlsonj
Just wrap it in speed tape. It'll hold.
mariofer
mariofer 2
Hey Lieutenant! Cannon's working.
jbsimms
Pleasantly surprised a 2 Lt wasn’t involved.
joselmejia
"An unfortunate training exercise involving an F-16 Falcon occurred yesterday. I am please to report that the pilot was not injured." Lt Col James "Rhodey" Rhodes
maschultz
The technician now is called "Ballermann 6" ;)
chalet
chalet 2
Earlier this year an AMRAAM AIM-120 missile accidentally launched from an Spanish Air Force Eurofighter while airborne. Fortunately there was no damages other than the 1 million dollars it cost. So far nobody says what happened, a pilot depressing the button or that some shortcircuit was the culplit.
chalet
chalet 1
OOPS, IT COST 100 MILLION (YES ONE HUNDRED)!!!!
tf51d
You were closer the first time, if it was a 120C the unit cost is between 300000 and 400000. If it was a 120D then the cost is 1.786 million
chalet
chalet 1
I meant to say Euros 100 million for the Amraam and a sister Eurofighter in formation if it was in front of the culprit.
ToddBaldwin3
I don't think i've seen a six barreled M16 before. A six barreled M61A1, yes.
patpylot
here is a gigantic "no-no". there are no suitable nor satisfactory excuses for this this category of
error. Also, there is not pennance than can be done to rectify this. wRITE THE aircraft off
jptq63
jptq63 1
So, will they need to buy a few more planes? Seriously, what kind of bid / version would they replace the F-16(s) that are destroyed. I would think a min purchase size (guess 4 - 8 planes) and a more current version; presuming no deaths / major life changing injuries to the reported 2, might be a small blessing.....
chalet
chalet 1
The Belgians will ask AMARC to first REMOVE any and all dangerous accoutrements such as but not limited to Vulcan cannons, rails and the weapons themselves AIM9 Sidewinders, Amraams, Zunis, et all.
jbsimms
I’d guess transfer some from ANG units that has/are transitioning to the F-22/F-35. Or pull some from AMARG
watkinssusan
improper training or not truly knowledgeable of the aircraft and its functions? the article says the "technicians" were injured,so unless they were on a suicide mission, that will come into play..
khaiduk
"What's this button do?"
scott8733
The article title should have been completed as "...blows up another F-16 and needs a new pair of underwear" HA!
khaiduk
I was just laughing at the title, but this adds a little more.
rwf1001
no kidding! HA!
Moviela
Good thing he didn't find the handle for the ejection seat.
darthsloth
Mike R 0
I was at the Willow Grove airshow on the day after that happened.
jacken
jacken 2
He did and now lives in Prague...
PCJocky
Sad really. Is our world getting more stupid?
joelwiley
Maybe not. Would be cheaper to fix.
wingbolt
wingbolt 3
I guess it needs a grip safety like Springfield puts on their XDs!
tcmarks
This is not accidental, there is more than one safety interlock for the gun when on the ground that must be disengaged before it can fire.
ToddBaldwin3
That is correct, but safety interlocks can, and have to be, bypassed by maintainers when performing maintenance.
stansdds
Will his defense be "it just went off by itself"? I dunno about this, but I would think there is more to firing the cannon than accidentally hitting one button.
Flightdog
No, the defense is, "I was cleaning it and it accidentally went off"
TorstenHoff
Or "I didn't know it was loaded" -- that one is very popular, too.
sparkie624
sparkie624 14
The other one in the Maintenance World... "It required a Functional Check"... In this case... "Functional Check Good" and they have the other plane to prove it!
sparkie624
Crazy and expectorating things happen that you would never think of...
ToddBaldwin3
It spit out quite a few things.
shenghaohan
First F-16 to shoot down another F-16??

(I guess there isn't many fail-safe for the gun to fire on the ground then...)
lynx318
lynx318 1
Friendly fire?

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