Air Force Pilots Survive Two Separate Flight Mishaps Involving F-16, F-22

Investigations are underway following the mishaps in Florida and Louisiana.

Kimberly Johnson

Thursday, March 24, 2022 at 04:53 PM ET

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Reports said the F-22's landing gear collapsed during landing.

Key Takeaways:

Two separate fighter jet mishaps occurred within a week, involving an F-22 Raptor and an F-16 Fighting Falcon.
Both pilots ejected or were otherwise safely recovered and sustained no serious injuries.
The F-22 Raptor experienced a landing gear collapse during landing, while the F-16 Fighting Falcon crashed during a routine training flight.
Investigations into both incidents are currently underway.

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Pilots survived two separate and unrelated fighter jet flight mishaps this week involving an Air National Guard F-16 Fighting Falcon and an Air Force F-22 Raptor, according to the service.

Tuesday morning shortly before 10:30 a.m., an F-22 assigned to the 325th Fighter Wing at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida experienced a mishap, the air base said in a statement.

The incident occurred when the F-22’s landing gear collapsed during landing, Air Force Magazine reported.

“Emergency crews responded immediately and were on the scene,” the statement said. “The pilot involved in the mishap was released from the hospital and is in good condition.”

A 325th Fighter Wing F-22 Raptor experienced a mishap on landing here approximately 10:25 am, March 22.
Emergency crews responded immediately & are on the scene. The pilot was transported to flight medicine for an evaluation. See link for the release. https://t.co/BbWoKzHzJy
— Eglin Air Force Base (@TeamEglin) March 22, 2022

The next day, on March 23, another service aircraft went down in Louisiana while conducting a routine training flight.

“An Air Force F-16 assigned to the [138th Flight Wing] of the Oklahoma Air National Guard crashed today in Beauregard Parish, Louisiana. The pilot safely ejected and was recovered with no serious injuries,” the Oklahoma National Guard said.

The pilot and aircraft, which are both based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, were en route on a routine training mission from Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base, Texas in Houston.

THREAD: An Air Force F-16 assigned to the @138thFW of the Oklahoma Air National Guard crashed today in Beauregard Parish, Louisiana. The pilot safely ejected and was recovered with no serious injuries.
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— Okla. National Guard (@OKGuard) March 23, 2022

“Air Force and civilian emergency first responders immediately responded to the scene of the crash and have no reported injuries at this time,” the Guard said.

The F-16 is believed to be a total loss, while damages to the F-22 were being assessed, Air Force Magazine said.

Investigations into both incidents are underway, the service said.