{"id":38133,"date":"2018-04-27T18:35:39","date_gmt":"2018-04-27T18:35:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/04\/27\/air-force-blames-pilot-error-after-two-f-16s-collide-head-on-in-midair\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T21:09:18","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T21:09:18","slug":"air-force-blames-pilot-error-after-two-f-16s-collide-head-on-in-midair","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2018\/04\/27\/air-force-blames-pilot-error-after-two-f-16s-collide-head-on-in-midair\/","title":{"rendered":"Air Force blames pilot error after two F-16s collide head-on in midair"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Two <a href=\"https:\/\/www.airforcetimes.com\/news\/your-air-force\/2018\/04\/26\/former-air-force-thunderbird-returns-to-replace-killed-pilot\/\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\">F-16Cs crashed during a training flight<\/a> after colliding head-on in midair because one of the pilots failed to \u201censure flight path <a href=\"https:\/\/www.airforcetimes.com\/news\/2018\/04\/12\/pilot-error-caused-two-air-force-a-10s-to-collide-in-midair\/\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\">deconfliction and separation of aircraft<\/a>,\u201d an Air Combat Command Accident Investigation Board has determined. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The collision occurred at Bulldog Military Operation Area near Louisville, Georgia, on June 7, 2016.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBoth pilots were unable to regain control of their aircraft and ejected shortly after the collision, sustaining minor injuries,\u201d according to an Air Force statement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The incident happened during a nighttime training flight, or sortie, while the aircraft were <a href=\"https:\/\/www.airforcetimes.com\/news\/your-air-force\/2015\/03\/19\/crews-errors-blamed-for-december-midair-collision-near-pope\/\" title=\"\" class=\"selected-link\" target=\"_blank\">maintaining visual separation<\/a>. Pilot two was flying several miles behind pilot one, when pilot two radioed in that his aircraft was low on fuel and needed to immediately return to base. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After that radio transmission, though, pilot one failed to make a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/2014\/02\/07\/locator-beacons-for-air-force-ejection-seats-failing-at-unacceptable-rate-downed-pilots-face-1-in-4-chance-of-an-urt-44-not-working\/\" title=\"\" class=\"selected-link\" target=\"_blank\" data-original-title=\"\">\u201cknock it off\u201d call<\/a>, which would terminate tactical maneuvering for all aircraft that were part of the training sortie. <span class=\"js-paste-start-PCP2QR6Q5ZFTFHMJG57WULGOWA\"> Without a \u201cknock it off\u201d call, the aircraft continued tactical operations, using visual separation, and further degraded radio communication between both pilots.<span class=\"js-paste-end-PCP2QR6Q5ZFTFHMJG57WULGOWA\"> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Additionally, pilot one made an immediate left turn to return to base.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pilot two saw pilot one\u2019s lights and began to follow, but he misjudged the separation between their aircraft, as well as the sharpness of pilot one\u2019s left turn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The abrupt left turn of pilot one\u2019s aircraft made it so pilot two was no longer following pilot one, but headed directly towards him.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2018\/04\/08\/air-force-aviation-accidents-reach-seven-year-high-as-low-level-mishaps-soar\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/14171151915_c52e0e0f3f_k.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Air Force aviation accidents reach seven-year high as low-level mishaps soar<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Total mishaps are on the rise in the Air Force, but the service is faring better than the Navy and Marine Corps.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cPilot two had already begun to follow the first aircraft\u2019s external lights using visual cues, but did not cross-check available sensors to confirm pilot one\u2019s position,\u201d the report summary reads. \u201cPilot two did not realize that pilot one was heading directly towards him and pointed directly at the first aircraft\u2019s external lights in an attempt to acquire a visual mode radar lock while descending from his sanctuary altitude.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"869\" height=\"540\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Capture.JPG_3700ea.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-71116\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Capture.JPG_3700ea.jpg 869w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Capture.JPG_3700ea.jpg?resize=300,186 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Capture.JPG_3700ea.jpg?resize=768,477 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 869px) 100vw, 869px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A figure from a mishap report showing a crash between two F-16s near Louisville, Georgia.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAt the last fraction of a second, both aircraft initiated a left bank away from the other and their high right wings collided,\u201d the statement adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The investigation board president concluded the cause of the mishap was pilot two\u2019s failure to fulfill his primary responsibility to ensure flight path deconfliction and separation of aircraft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Additionally, the board identified two other factors that contributed to the mishap, one of which was that the first pilot did not terminate tactical maneuvering following pilot two\u2019s low fuel call. The other contributing factor was that both pilots relied too much on visual cues from external aircraft lighting to judge critical flight parameters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Both pilots were from the 169th Fighter Wing, out of McEntire Joint National Guard Base, South Carolina, although they were in separate squadrons. Pilot one had 1,961 flying hours in the F-16, and pilot two had roughly 1,677 flight hours in that aircraft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the time of the mishap, both pilots were medically qualified for flying duties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The total loss to the U.S. government was estimated to be $60.8 million, and the environmental clean-up cost was estimated at $90,000. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The collision occurred at Bulldog Military Operation Area near Louisville, Georgia, on June 7, 2016.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":71115,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":67,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":{"2":{"categories":["your-military","news"],"primary_category":"your-military"}}},"categories":[101,16,26,67],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3277],"class_list":["post-38133","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-news","category-newsletters","category-your-air-force"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"CCMXSTEV6FA4ND2G3R3WHYQHZA","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/2018\/04\/27\/air-force-blames-pilot-error-after-two-f-16s-collide-head-on-in-midair\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Air Force blames pilot error after two F-16s collide head-on in midair - Air Force TImes<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The collision occurred at Bulldog Military Operation Area near Louisville, Georgia, on June 7, 2016.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Air Force blames pilot error after two F-16s collide head-on in midair\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The collision occurred at Bulldog Military Operation Area near Louisville, Georgia, on June 7, 2016.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2018\/04\/27\/air-force-blames-pilot-error-after-two-f-16s-collide-head-on-in-midair\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Air Force TImes\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-04-27T18:35:39+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-07T21:09:18+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Kyle Rempfer\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Kyle Rempfer\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/news\\\/your-air-force\\\/2018\\\/04\\\/27\\\/air-force-blames-pilot-error-after-two-f-16s-collide-head-on-in-midair\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/news\\\/your-air-force\\\/2018\\\/04\\\/27\\\/air-force-blames-pilot-error-after-two-f-16s-collide-head-on-in-midair\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"Air Force blames pilot error after two F-16s collide head-on in midair\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2018-04-27T18:35:39+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-07T21:09:18+00:00\",\n\t            \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/news\\\/your-air-force\\\/2018\\\/04\\\/27\\\/air-force-blames-pilot-error-after-two-f-16s-collide-head-on-in-midair\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"wordCount\": 525,\n\t            \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/news\\\/your-air-force\\\/2018\\\/04\\\/27\\\/air-force-blames-pilot-error-after-two-f-16s-collide-head-on-in-midair\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/4033357.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"articleSection\": [\n\t                \"Daily News Roundup\",\n\t                \"News\",\n\t                \"Newsletters\",\n\t                \"Your Air Force\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t                    \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/news\\\/your-air-force\\\/2018\\\/04\\\/27\\\/air-force-blames-pilot-error-after-two-f-16s-collide-head-on-in-midair\\\/#respond\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/news\\\/your-air-force\\\/2018\\\/04\\\/27\\\/air-force-blames-pilot-error-after-two-f-16s-collide-head-on-in-midair\\\/\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/news\\\/your-air-force\\\/2018\\\/04\\\/27\\\/air-force-blames-pilot-error-after-two-f-16s-collide-head-on-in-midair\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Air Force blames pilot error after two F-16s collide head-on in midair - Air Force TImes\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#website\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/news\\\/your-air-force\\\/2018\\\/04\\\/27\\\/air-force-blames-pilot-error-after-two-f-16s-collide-head-on-in-midair\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/news\\\/your-air-force\\\/2018\\\/04\\\/27\\\/air-force-blames-pilot-error-after-two-f-16s-collide-head-on-in-midair\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/4033357.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2018-04-27T18:35:39+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-07T21:09:18+00:00\",\n\t            \"description\": \"The collision occurred at Bulldog Military Operation Area near Louisville, Georgia, on June 7, 2016.\",\n\t            \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/news\\\/your-air-force\\\/2018\\\/04\\\/27\\\/air-force-blames-pilot-error-after-two-f-16s-collide-head-on-in-midair\\\/#breadcrumb\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/news\\\/your-air-force\\\/2018\\\/04\\\/27\\\/air-force-blames-pilot-error-after-two-f-16s-collide-head-on-in-midair\\\/\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/news\\\/your-air-force\\\/2018\\\/04\\\/27\\\/air-force-blames-pilot-error-after-two-f-16s-collide-head-on-in-midair\\\/#primaryimage\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/4033357.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/4033357.jpg.jpg\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/news\\\/your-air-force\\\/2018\\\/04\\\/27\\\/air-force-blames-pilot-error-after-two-f-16s-collide-head-on-in-midair\\\/#breadcrumb\",\n\t            \"itemListElement\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 1,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"home\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 2,\n\t                    \"name\": \"News\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/news\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"news\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 3,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Your Air Force\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/news\\\/your-air-force\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"your-air-force\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 4,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Air Force blames pilot error after two F-16s collide head-on in midair\"\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#website\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Air Force TImes\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Independent News For Airmen | Air Force Times\",\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t                        \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t                    },\n\t                    \"query-input\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t                        \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t                        \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t                    }\n\t                }\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#organization\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Air Force TImes\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"logo\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/air-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/air-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"Air Force TImes\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"\n\t            }\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\",\n\t            \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"migration\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/airforcetimes\\\/author\\\/migration\\\/\"\n\t        }\n\t    ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Air Force blames pilot error after two F-16s collide head-on in midair - Air Force TImes","description":"The collision occurred at Bulldog Military Operation Area near Louisville, Georgia, on June 7, 2016.","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Air Force blames pilot error after two F-16s collide head-on in midair","og_description":"The collision occurred at Bulldog Military Operation Area near Louisville, Georgia, on June 7, 2016.","og_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2018\/04\/27\/air-force-blames-pilot-error-after-two-f-16s-collide-head-on-in-midair\/","og_site_name":"Air Force TImes","article_published_time":"2018-04-27T18:35:39+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-07T21:09:18+00:00","author":"Kyle Rempfer","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Kyle Rempfer","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2018\/04\/27\/air-force-blames-pilot-error-after-two-f-16s-collide-head-on-in-midair\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2018\/04\/27\/air-force-blames-pilot-error-after-two-f-16s-collide-head-on-in-midair\/"},"author":{"name":"migration","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1"},"headline":"Air Force blames pilot error after two F-16s collide head-on in midair","datePublished":"2018-04-27T18:35:39+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-07T21:09:18+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2018\/04\/27\/air-force-blames-pilot-error-after-two-f-16s-collide-head-on-in-midair\/"},"wordCount":525,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2018\/04\/27\/air-force-blames-pilot-error-after-two-f-16s-collide-head-on-in-midair\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/4033357.jpg.jpg","articleSection":["Daily News Roundup","News","Newsletters","Your Air Force"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2018\/04\/27\/air-force-blames-pilot-error-after-two-f-16s-collide-head-on-in-midair\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2018\/04\/27\/air-force-blames-pilot-error-after-two-f-16s-collide-head-on-in-midair\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2018\/04\/27\/air-force-blames-pilot-error-after-two-f-16s-collide-head-on-in-midair\/","name":"Air Force blames pilot error after two F-16s collide head-on in midair - Air Force TImes","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2018\/04\/27\/air-force-blames-pilot-error-after-two-f-16s-collide-head-on-in-midair\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2018\/04\/27\/air-force-blames-pilot-error-after-two-f-16s-collide-head-on-in-midair\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/4033357.jpg.jpg","datePublished":"2018-04-27T18:35:39+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-07T21:09:18+00:00","description":"The collision occurred at Bulldog Military Operation Area near Louisville, Georgia, on June 7, 2016.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2018\/04\/27\/air-force-blames-pilot-error-after-two-f-16s-collide-head-on-in-midair\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2018\/04\/27\/air-force-blames-pilot-error-after-two-f-16s-collide-head-on-in-midair\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2018\/04\/27\/air-force-blames-pilot-error-after-two-f-16s-collide-head-on-in-midair\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/4033357.jpg.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/4033357.jpg.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2018\/04\/27\/air-force-blames-pilot-error-after-two-f-16s-collide-head-on-in-midair\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/","ad_zone":"home"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/","ad_zone":"news"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Your Air Force","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/","ad_zone":"your-air-force"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Air Force blames pilot error after two F-16s collide head-on in midair"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#website","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/","name":"Air Force TImes","description":"Independent News For Airmen | Air Force Times","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#organization","name":"Air Force TImes","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/air-logo-white.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/air-logo-white.png","caption":"Air Force TImes"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1","name":"migration","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"migration"},"url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/author\/migration\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Air Force TImes","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes","push-errors":false,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/4033357.jpg.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38133","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38133"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38133\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":38138,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38133\/revisions\/38138"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38133"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38133"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38133"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=38133"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}