AllTop Viral!

An F-16 jet fighter crashed after running off the end of the runway at high speed during the 2011 EAA Fly-In Airshow at Oshkosh, WI. Two F-16s had just completed 3 low-level flybys. The first F-16 landed and had just departed the runway when the second one landed. It appeared to land too far down the runway. I was about two-thirds of the way along the runway, perhaps 1,000 feet from the end. The F-16 passed at high-speed, much faster than the first one. It was immediately apparent that something was not right.

The jet fighter ran off the runway. Its nose gear collapsed immediately and dug into the dirt. A huge spray of dirt shot up, perhaps 50 feet into the air. Smoke and a flame grew from the tail end. I suspect that this was due to dirt being sucked into the engine before it was shut down.

Within a minute, several emergency vehicles were on the scene. They did not spray any fire retardant. You can see the canopy open and I believe the pilot probably exited unharmed. From markings, the fighters appear to be stationed in Alabama.

All about aviation.

Photo credit: © 2011 Will Mayall