Cleanup continues on spill in area off-base caused by jettisoned fuel tanks that burst upon impact with ground
Air Force investigators released a report Tuesday on what caused the pilot of Eielson-based F-16 fighter jet to declare an in-flight emergency shortly after takeoff last year.
Eielson spokesperson Senior Airman Ricardo Sandoval says the Pacific Air Forces Accident Investigation Board determined the May 28th, 2024 emergency occurred after the pilot flew through a flock of waterfowl.
“The board concluded the mishap was caused by an unintentional collision with waterfowl that were not visible to air crew or tower personnel,” Sandoval said Tuesday. Eielson issued a news release Tuesday announcing the results of the board's investigation.
The pilot landed safely, despite engine problems caused by the jet’s in-flight encounter with a type of duck called scoters.
“The investigation found that it was approximately five white wing scoters that struck the aircraft,” he said. “At least one entered the engine intake where the pilot began experiencing serious engine stalls and followed protocol prior to landing on the runway.”
Sandoval said bird strikes aren’t unusual and don’t often result in serious aircraft damage. And he says Eielson takes precautions to prevent them.
“The base actually has a cross-functional team that works together to prevent bird strikes and animals from becoming a hazard to our missions,” he said. “And during the spring migration, the team is on-call 24 hours a day to ensure that our aircraft are ready to fly at a moment's notice without any wildlife interference.”
Before landing, the F-16’s pilot jettisoned the plane’s two external fuel tanks, which hit the ground on Alaska Mental Health Trust land about a mile and a half west of the base. The jet is part of Eielson’s 18th Fighter Interceptor Squadron.
“The pilot's actions allowed him to safely land the F-16 that was involved, and it has since been repaired and is back in service,” Sandoval said.
The Accident Investigation Board report says engine repairs cost about $1.3 million, and the fuel tanks cost about $52,000 to replace. The tanks were destroyed when they hit the ground and spilled nearly 370 gallons of jet fuel around the two impact sites.
The area has been closed since last year while a contractor excavated contaminated soil and took it to an environmental-remediation facility in Moose Creek for treatment. Sandoval said Tuesday that clean fill will be brought to the site in July. And once the cleanup is completed, the site will be monitored by the Air Force Civil Engineer Center.
Meanwhile, Air Force investigators are still working to determine the cause of a more serious incident that occurred on January 28th involving an Eielson-based F-35. The pilot of that jet also declared an in-flight emergency, then ejected and parachuted to safety. And the jet crashed just inside the base’s fence line. The estimated cost of an F-35 is about $82 million.
