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PDF versionHILL AIR FORCE BASE — Engine failure is to blame for the Thursday afternoon incident that saw a F-16 pilot jettison bombs and fuel tanks over the west side of Hill Air Force Base, Air Force officials said Friday.
Base emergency personnel will dispose of one unexploded bomb today by blowing it up in place. The other bomb exploded on impact with the ground.
About 4 p.m. Thursday, a male F-16 pilot from Hill’s 388th Fighter Wing had engine problems approximately 20 seconds after takeoff, causing the pilot to drop two external fuel tanks and two 500 pound Mark 82 general purpose bombs, officials said at a Friday afternoon news conference.
The pilot was on his way to a training mission at the Utah Test and Training Range and turned his jet around over Layton and Clearfield before heading to Hill’s west side.
The tanks and the bombs were dropped in a largely uninhabited area on the west side of the base, approximately 2,000 feet from Interstate 15.
One of the bombs unexpectedly exploded upon impact, destroying a small tin shed and causing a power outage on base. Power was restored Thursday evening.
The second bomb buried itself approximately 17 feet in the ground in the same general area of the base.
The pilot, whose name is not being released, landed safely on base and no damage was reported to the F-16.
Col. Scott Zobrist, commander of the 388th Fighter Wing, said it is standard procedure for a pilot to jettison munitions and fuel tanks after an engine failure.
Zobrist said when an engine fails, landing with excess weight is dangerous.
“Landing with all that extra weight could have caused the jet to go off the end of the runway,” Zobrist said. “He got to the biggest, widest area he could find and did exactly what he was supposed to do. I’m very proud of him.”
Technicians from Hill have recovered the external fuel tanks and base explosive ordnance disposal experts and emergency management teams will destroy the second bomb with explosives.
“We have determined destroying the bomb in place is the safest method to neutralize the impact to our emergency response and recovery teams, as well as cause minimal environmental impact,” said Col. Patrick Higby, 75th Air Base Wing commander. “The operation is something our EOD technicians do at the UTTR on a regular basis.”
The operation will begin Saturday morning and residents of surrounding communities may hear or see emergency vehicles, explosions, and possibly plumes of smoke as a result of the detonation.
The base’s Roy gate near the 5600 South exit of I-15 and all activities at the Hill Aerospace Museum will be closed Saturday. Explosive operations are tentatively scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. and could take hours to finish.
Base emergency management said the fuel tanks released approximately 500 gallons of fuel. Some of the fuel evaporated and the remainder impacted a remote area on base.
An environmental contractor will be used to remove the fuel by excavating the soil.
The investigation into the cause of the incident is ongoing.
HILL AIR FORCE BASE -- Engine failure is to blame for the Thursday afternoon incident that saw a base F-16 pilot to drop two bombs over the west side of the base.
Base emergency personnel will dispose of one unexploded bomb on Saturday.
At about 4 p.m., on Thursday, an F-16 pilot from Hill's 388th Fighter Wing had engine problems approximately 20 seconds after takeoff, causing the pilot to drop two external fuel tanks and two unarmed Mark 82 general purpose bombs.
The tanks and the bombs were dropped in a largely uninhabited area on the west side of the base. One Mk-82 general purpose bomb unexpectedly exploded upon impact, destroying a small tin shed and causing a power outage on base. Power was restored Thursday evening a few hours after the incident.
The second bomb was buried approximately 17 feet in the ground in the same general area of the base.
The pilot, whose name is not being released, later landed safely on base and no damage was reported to the F-16.
