Investigation: Pilot’s Disorientation Caused 2020 Fatal F-16 Crash in Michigan
June 9, 2021 | By Brian W. Everstine
A Wisconsin Air National Guard pilot experienced spatial disorientation while flying at night, in bad weather, and without working GPS, causing his F-16 to crash in a wooded area of northern Michigan, according to an Air Force Investigation released June 9.
Capt. Durwood “Hawk” Jones, 37, was killed instantly in the Dec. 8, 2020, crash in the Hiawatha National Forest. He was assigned to the 176th Fighter Squadron, 115th Fighter Wing out of Truax Field Air National Guard Base.
Jones and his wingman were scheduled to take part in an aerospace control alert training mission the night of Dec. 8, when the Wisconsin Civil Air Patrol aircraft, expected to serve as the intercept target, canceled because of poor weather near Green Bay.
https://www.airforcemag.com/investigation-2020-fatal-f-16-crash/