In this article:
Munitions loader collides with F-16
According to the Air Force Judge Advocate General’s Corps Accident Investigation Board (AIB) report, on Nov. 17, 2023, the mishap aircraft (MA), an F-16 with tail number (TIN) 89-002023, assigned to 555th Fighter Squadron, 31st Operational Group, 31st Fighter Wing, Aviano Air Base, Italy, was operating out of a deployed, undisclosed location (UL) in Southwest Asia.
At all times relevant to the mishap, the MA was parked, unmanned, and unarmed, on a ramp at the UL approximately 60 feet from an F-15E where a team of weapons loaders were working to remove munitions. The team of weapons loaders included a team chief (MXLC 1), a weapons loader (MXLC2), and the weapons loader driver (MXLC3), who were using a MJ-1 weapons loader, also known as a “jammer” or bomb lift.
At approximately 2200 local time (L) and while beginning efforts to load munitions onto the F-15E, MXLC2 started operating the mishap jammer (MMJ-1). After getting on MMJ-1 and placing it in reverse in a direction toward the F-15E, MXLC2 believed he was unable to stop the jammer. While continuing to travel in reverse, the MMJ-1 hit the sniper pod, and MXLC2 hit his head and scraped his back on the bomb rack unit (BRU) of the F-15, pinning him to the dashboard of the jammer.
MMJ-1 proceeded to hit the landing gear tire of the F-15E, which changed its course of direction towards the MA. MMJ-1 then turned under the left fuel tank of the F-15E and MXLC2 was thrown off MMJ-1. The jammer then hit a nearby toolbox and proceeded to travel unmanned in a direction toward the MA.
$30 Million in Damage
MMJ-1 hit the MA on the right fuel tank, causing a fuel leak. Shortly afterwards, a spark from the MMJ-1 ignited a fire, engulfing the MMJ-1 and the right front side of the MA.
This mishap caused an estimated $30,241,892.00 in damage to government equipment and an estimated $4,954.00 in environmental clean-up costs. The Accident Investigation Board (AIB) President found by a preponderance of evidence the cause of the mishap was MXLC2′ s loss of situational awareness and confusion as to the model ofMJ-1 he was operating as well as the distance to the F-15E aircraft when first began operating MMJ-1.
This led to MXLC2 panicking and mistakenly engaging the accelerator pedal when he thought he was engaging the brake pedal and failing to properly apply emergency shutdown procedures on MMJ-1. The combination of these errors led to MMJ-1 impacting the F-15E’s landing gear at a high rate of speed, resulting in the failure of MMJ-1 ‘s hydrostatic drive pump and inability of the centering mechanism to retract the pump’s control lever to the neutral position and bring MMJ-1 to a stop.
The Board President further found that lack of proper documentation for the assigned MJ-1 fleet at the UL and a loose culture of adherence to Air Force standards and technical procedures by maintainers at the UL were contributing factors in this mishap.
MJ-1 “jammer”
The MJ-1, also known as a “jammer,” is a standard lift truck used to transport, load, and unload a wide variety of munitions and equipment to a wide variety of United States Air Force aircraft. Controls at the rear of the lift truck allow the load crew to make small adjustments for precise positioning during loading and unloading of munitions.
The MJ-lB/C lift-truck looks nearly identical to the MJ-lC lift truck at first glance but many of the components in the MJ-lC model have been upgraded. The differences between the B/C and C model are overall minor but include components in the braking system, fuel system, steering system, electrical and wheel paneling area. For the braking system, the MJ-lC model has an upgraded foot brake, which is in a differing location than on the older MJ-lB/C model. For the fuel system, the MJ-lC model no longer has a clear bowl to help identify the presence of water in fuel but otherwise is the same.
The steering system in the MJ-1 C model also has a minor difference, including the removal of the steering manifold beneath the operator’s seat cushion, but it otherwise has the same steering pump as the B/C version. Lastly, the front wheel fenders on the MJ-1 C model have incorporated slip-resistant steps, as opposed to the conforming style fenders on the previous B/C model.
Photo credit: Staff Sgt. Ryan Callaghan / U.S. Air Force
