Ground Mishap Involving F-16 and Weapons Loader Results in $30 Million Damage
October 20, 2024
A U.S. Air Force F-16C was struck by
an out-of-control MJ-1 jammer,
causing a fuel leak. Sparks emitted from
the jammer ignited a fire that engulfed
both the jammer and the right side of
the F-16C.
The U.S. Air Forces Europe – Air
Forces Africa has published a report
from the Accident Investigation
Board regarding a ground incident
that took place on Nov. 17, 2023.
On that day, an F-16 with tail number
89-02023, assigned to the 555th
Fighter Squadron, 31st Operational
Group, 31st Fighter Wing at Aviano
Air Base, Italy, was stationed at a
deployed, undisclosed location in
Southwest Asia. At the time of the
incident, the aircraft was parked,
unmanned, and unarmed on a ramp
approximately 60 feet away from an
F-15E, tail number 91-0335, of the
48th Fighter Wing, from RAF
Lakenheath, UK, where a team of
weapons loaders was working to
remove munitions.
The F-16 was equipped with two 370-gallon external fuel tanks, an
AN/ALQ-131 electronic counter-
measure pod, two MXU-648-EA
travel pods, an AN/AAQ-33 Sniper
Advanced Targeting Pod (ATP),
and two inert AIM-120B Captive
Air Training Missiles.
The team working on the F-15E
consisted of a team chief (MXLC1),
a weapons loader (MXLC2), and the
weapons loader driver (MXLC3),
who were using an MJ-1 weapons
loader, commonly referred to as a
“jammer” or bomb lift.
Around 2200 local time, while begin-
ning to load munitions onto the
F-15E, MXLC2 began operating the
jammer. After starting it and placing
it in reverse toward the F-15E,
MXLC2 realized he could not stop
the jammer. As it continued in
reverse, the jammer struck the
Sniper ATP (advanced targeting pod),
causing MXLC2 to hit his head and
scrape his back on the F-15’s bomb
rack unit, pinning him to the dash-
board of the jammer. The jammer
then collided with the F-15E’s
landing gear tire, redirecting its path
toward the F-16.
After moving under the F-15E’s left
fuel tank, MXLC2 was thrown off the
jammer, which then hit a nearby tool-
box and continued unmanned
toward the F-16. The jammer struck
the F-16’s right fuel tank, leading to
a fuel leak. Shortly afterward, sparks
from the jammer ignited a fire that
engulfed both the jammer and the
right front side of the F-16.
The mishap resulted in
approximately $30,241,892 in
damage to government equipment
and an estimated $4,954 in environ-
mental cleanup costs. In particular,
the damage sustained by the F-16
was significant but limited to the
right front section. The MJ-1
jammer struck the forward portion
of the right 370-gallon external fuel
tank, causing an immediate fire.
This led to severe damage to the
aircraft’s panels, bulkhead, and
internal lines. The right-side tank
was damaged from the impact of
MMJ-1 and destroyed in the sub-
sequent fire. The front top portion of
the tank was melted off during the
fire and was non-recoverable. The
F-15E’s Sniper pod sustained an
external scratch traveling the length
of the pod on the outboard left side
surface.
During the mishap, the MJ-1
operator, MXLC2, sustained minor
abrasions on both legs, the left arm,
the back of the head, and more
significant abrasions on the left
side of the back.
The Accident Investigation Board
(AIB) President determined that the
mishap was caused by MXLC2’s
loss of situational awareness and
confusion about the specific MJ-1
model he was operating, as well as
his misjudgment of the distance to
the F-15E when he began using the
jammer.
The MJ-1, commonly referred to as
a “jammer,” is a standard lift truck
used by the United States Air Force
to transport, load, and unload a wide
range of munitions and equipment
for various aircraft. The truck has
controls at the rear, allowing the
load crew to make precise
adjustments when positioning
munitions during loading and
unloading operations.
The MJ-1B/C lift truck closely
resembles the newer MJ-1C model
at first glance, but the MJ-1C
includes several component
upgrades. Though the differences
between the B/C and C models are
generally minor, they affect key
systems such as braking, fuel,
steering, and electrical components,
as well as the wheel paneling.
In the braking system, the MJ-1C
features an updated foot brake
located in a different position than
on the older MJ-1B/C. For the fuel
system, the MJ-1C no longer
includes a clear bowl to check for
water in the fuel, but it remains
otherwise unchanged. The steering
system on the MJ-1C has a minor
alteration, with the steering
manifold removed from beneath the
operator’s seat cushion, though the
steering pump remains the same as
the B/C version. Finally, the front
wheel fenders on the MJ-1C have
slip-resistant steps, unlike the
conforming style fenders found on
the earlier MJ-1B/C models.
This confusion led MXLC2 to panic,
mistakenly pressing the accelerator
instead of the brake, and failing to
implement the proper emergency
shutdown procedures. These errors
caused the MJ-1 to collide with the
F-15E’s landing gear at high speed,
which resulted in the failure of the
MJ-1’s hydrostatic drive pump and
prevented the centering mechanism
from retracting the pump’s control
lever to the neutral position, thereby
stopping the jammer.
The AIB President also concluded
that a lack of proper documentation
for the MJ-1 fleet at the
“undisclosed location” (that could
be Muwaffaq Salti/Al-Azraq Air
Base in Jordan, where the RAF
Lakenheath’s F-15Es deployed last
year 2023), along with a lax
adherence to Air Force standards
and technical procedures by the
maintenance personnel, were
contributing factors in the mishap.
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