Officials release F-16 accident report Published Oct. 8, 2003 RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFPN) -- Air Force officials have determined a bird strike caused the crash of an F-16 Fighting Falcon on June 13 at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz.The fighter jet's single engine lost thrust when it ingested a turkey vulture shortly after takeoff, according to the accident investigation report released Oct. 7 by Air Education and Training Command.The aircraft was flying 800 feet above the runway at the time of the incident.The pilot, Capt. Valentine Arbogast of the 61st Fighter Squadron, was the flight lead of a four-ship formation flying a low-level training mission at Gila Bend Auxiliary Airfield. The mission included simulated bombing attacks and simulated flameout approaches.He was beginning a left hand turn to depart the airfield when he saw a "black blur" disappear underneath the nose of his aircraft and felt an immediate loss of thrust. In response, he began a climb to try to enter the flameout landing pattern, but the engine continued to lose thrust throughout the maneuver.After climbing 580 feet, Arbogast realized he would be unable to land the aircraft back at Gila Bend, turned the aircraft away from airfield buildings and ejected.The F-16, which was assigned to the 61st Fighter Squadron, crashed in an uninhabited area of the desert about 350 feet from Gila Bend Auxiliary Airfield at 9:28 a.m. Arbogast was returned to Luke by an Arizona Department of Public Safety helicopter, examined by a flight surgeon and released from the clinic emergency room.Lt. Col. George Sciss from the 479th Flying Training Group at Moody AFB, Ga., headed the accident investigation board. (Courtesy of AETC News Service)