On 26 January 2015, an F-16D Fighting Falcon jet fighter of the Hellenic Air Force crashed into the flight line at Los Llanos Air Base in Albacete, Spain, killing 11 people: the two crew members and nine on the ground. Twenty-one others, all on the ground, were injured.[1]

2015 Los Llanos Air Base crash

084, the F-16 involved in the accident, photographed in 2008
Accident
Date	26 January 2015 (2015-01-26)
Summary	Under investigation
Site	Los Llanos Air Base, Albacete, Spain 38°56′54″N 01°51′48″W
Total fatalities	11
Total injuries	21
Aircraft
Aircraft type	General Dynamics F-16D Fighting Falcon
Operator	Hellenic Air Force
Registration	084
Occupants	2
Crew	2
Fatalities	2
Survivors	0
Ground casualties
Ground fatalities	9
Ground injuries	21

Background

Los Llanos Air Base is the venue of NATO's Tactical Leadership Program (TLP), a regular series of training exercises for personnel from ten NATO member air forces. In January 2015, during TLP2015-1, several NATO air forces deployed aircraft to the base, including four F-16 Block 50 fighter aircraft of the Hellenic Air Force's 341st Squadron, supported by 41 pilots and technicians from the 111th Combat Wing, based at Nea Anchialos Air Base.[2]

Accident

On 26 January 2015, one of the Greek F-16s crashed into other aircraft at the base just after takeoff, causing an explosion which killed 9 people. A total of five aircraft on the ground were damaged or destroyed, including two Italian AMXs, two French Alpha Jets, and one French Mirage 2000.

Those killed included the two Greek crew members of the F-16 and eight French personnel on the ground. 21 individuals were injured, six of them severely. The following day, a French airman who was severely burned in the accident died, bringing the death toll to eleven.[3]

In addition to the loss of personnel, the crash resulted in the write-off of two Dassault Mirage 2000D fighters and two Alpha Jet trainers of the French Air Force. Two of its Dassault Rafales were also severely damaged.[4]

Investigation

Initial findings were that a technical fault developed on board the F-16 during take-off, and the two crew members had tried to eject.[5]

References

На других языках

[fr] Accident aérien de la base de Los Llanos