U.S. Air Force Aerospace Mishap Reports: Accident Investigation Board Report on 2018 Crash of Thunderbirds Air Demonstration Squadron F-16CM Fighting Falcon Fighter Aircraft at Nellis AFB, Nevada

This Air Force accident report has been professionally converted for accurate flowing-text e-book format reproduction. On 4 April 2018, the mishap pilot (MP), flying F-16CM tail number (T/N) 91-0413, assigned to the United States Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron, known as the "Thunderbirds," 57th Wing, Nellis Air Force Base (AFB), Nevada (NV), engaged in a routine aerial demonstration training flight at the Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR) near Creech AFB, NV. During the training flight, at approximately 1029 local (L) time, the mishap aircraft (MA) impacted the ground and fatally injured the MP, without an ejection attempt.

The mishap mission was planned and authorized as a practice of the "High Show" version of the Thunderbirds aerial demonstration and was flown in the Thunderbirds practice area in the south part of the NTTR. The mishap flight (MF) was a formation of six F-16CMs (Thunderbirds #1-6), the standard Thunderbirds aerial demonstration flight.

The cause of the mishap was the MP's G-LOC and associated states of absolute and relative incapacitation. During these states, the MP was unable to apply appropriate flight control inputs to avoid the MA's impact with the ground or attempt an ejection.