RSAF F-16 crash: flight recorder data being reviewed; Fleet training will remain suspended.

The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) will continue to suspend training flights for its F-16 fleet following the crash of one of its aircraft on May 8.

The Ministry of Defense (Mindef) said in a statement on May 9 that the suspension will remain in place until its investigations show that it is safe to resume F-16 training flights.

The RSAF also took a one-day safety break after the crash, for its units to review safety practices and contingency procedures, and will resume flight training on May 10, except for F-16s.

Mindef also said the plane’s flight data recorder has been recovered and the RSAF is working closely with F-16 manufacturer Lockheed Martin to review the recorded data. Singapore’s Transport Safety Investigation Bureau, part of the Ministry of Transport, will also support the investigation.

The single-seat F-16C fighter jet crashed inside Tengah Air Base after the pilot reported he had problems with flight control while taking off for a routine training mission shortly after noon on May 8. He ejected from the plane, which then crashed. Mindef announced that night the suspension of training flights.

Greg Waldron, Asia editor-in-chief of Singapore-based aviation publication FlightGlobal, told The Straits Times that the F-16 is a complex aircraft and a full investigation analyzing a large amount of data would be needed to determine what It had happened exactly. .

“Flight controls can refer to several things, such as the aircraft’s fly-by-wire control system, or perhaps control surfaces such as flaps, ailerons or rudders,” he added.

The accident was the fourth involving an RSAF F-16 since they entered service in the late 1980s. The F-16 is one of the most widely used modern fighter aircraft in the world and is currently flown by 25 forces airlines from all over the world.

Lockheed Martin has built more than 4,600 F-16s since 1976, and its U.S. production line still builds aircraft for customers such as Slovakia and Taiwan.

Emergency procedures

Mindef said in its statement that the pilot responded in accordance with emergency procedures when he encountered problems before ejecting from the plane. He was taken to the hospital for a complete medical examination, which revealed no major injuries.

Following the crash landing of an RSAF AH-64D Apache helicopter in a Woodlands field in September 2010, Teo Chee Hean, then Minister for Defence, told Parliament that in the event of an in-flight emergency, the key priority For RSAF pilots it is always to avoid populated areas.

They will try to fly the helicopter back to the nearest air base when possible and, if not, land it in the nearest open space, he said, adding that pilots are informed about possible emergency landing sites on their flight routes before to take off. .

“Our pilots are trained to ensure the safety of the public before making a decision to land in any of these open spaces, and will forego such landing even at risk to themselves if there is a danger to the public,” Teo said. .

A former RSAF pilot who spoke to ST confirmed that the safety of people on the ground was his primary concern in an onboard emergency.

He said pilots were briefed about populated areas on their flight paths before each mission, and were trained to steer their planes away from populated areas before evacuating them if they couldn’t land at the nearest air base.

This was because the plane needed a runway to land on and therefore, unlike helicopters, landing in an open field in the event of an emergency was not an option.