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The F-16 that ran off the end of Runway 36 at Wittman Regional Airport after landing during the 2011 EAA Oshkosh AirVenture gathering did so because the cockpit got foggy, according to the Air Force. The Air Force accident investigation board report says that the jet’s environmental control system caused extreme fogging that completely obscured the pilot’s vision. Contributing factors were a fast touchdown speed and inadequate aerobraking by the pilot, which increased the landing distance.
The jet and pilot were assigned to the 100th Fighter Squadron, 187th Fighter Wing at Dannelly Field, Ala. The pilot landed in the number-two position of a two-ship formation at midday as part of a training flight. According to Air Combat Command, the pilot “applied the defog procedure” without success during landing and was therefore deprived of “necessary visual clues.” The F-16 departed the paved surface of the runway and came to rest roughly 300 feet beyond the runway’s end. The pilot was not injured in the incident. Damage to the aircraft has been estimated at $5.4 million.
