The Air Force released two investigation reports blaming pilots for two separate F-16 crashes this year.

In the first, Capt Lucas Gruenther was killed when he ejected from his F-16 during a night training sortie over the Adriatic Sea.  The Air Force said:

The board president, Brig. Gen. Derek P. Rydholm, found clear and convincing evidence that the pilot suffered symptoms of spatial disorientation, due to a combination of weather conditions, the pilot’s use of night vision goggles, the aircraft’s attitude and high rate of speed, and the pilot’s breakdown in visual scan…

The Air Force Times noted that

Gruenther ejected…at 7,066 feet, traveling 569 knots at a dive angle of 16 degrees and an 18 degree left bank.

Such a condition is essentially level flight — which seems to indicate he had recovered from his dive, but didn’t realize it.  Gen Rydholm seemed to draw that conclusion, saying the “spatial d”

led the MP to misjudge the imminent need to eject.

In the second incident, an Instructor Pilot made incorrect decisions following a bird strike resulting in the loss of the F-16 at Luke AFB.   The Air Force said:

The Accident Investigation Board found evidence that the cause of the mishap was a result of the pilot erroneously electing to make an immediate turn that robbed the aircraft of altitude and airspeed, rather than climbing straight ahead to achieve minimum maneuvering speed for aircraft recovery.

Both pilots in that incident survived.

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