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A U.S. Air Force F-16 fighter jet and a KC-46 Pegasus tanker were involved in a mid-air refueling accident off the coast of the Netherlands on June 27, Air Force officials told Air & Space Forces Magazine.
The incident was first noticed by a user on social media site “X” (formerly Twitter), who posted audio from the aircraft’s radio and air traffic control, which Air & Space Forces Magazine confirmed as authentic.
A KC-46, callsign “Kanza 91,” was refueling an F-16, callsign “Warhawk,” when trouble erupted. Someone reported on the radio frequency that the F-16, “Warhawk 3,” had “damaged doors” on its in-flight refueling and that “part of its spine was damaged because the fighter and tanker were too close together.” The person later noted that the damage to the plane’s spine was behind the in-flight refueling door. An airman aboard Kanza 91 then said the plane was “damaged and unable to refuel” and asked another airman to check for loose cables coming from the rear of the plane. No response was recorded.
The aircraft involved were an F-16 assigned to the 52nd Fighter Wing at Spangdahlem Air Base in Germany, and a KC-46A from the 931st Air Refueling Wing, an Air Force Reserve unit based at McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas, and forward deployed to Europe, a 52nd Fighter Wing spokesperson told Air & Space Forces Magazine.
“The accident is currently under investigation. The pilot and crew returned safely,” the spokesman said.
The Air Force did not respond to questions about the possibility of damage to either the KC-46 or the F-16.
The 480th Fighter Squadron, nicknamed the Warhawks, is the only fighter unit based at Spangdahlem. Open-source flight tracking data reviewed by Air & Space Force Magazine shows KC-46s also take off and land at the site, which is also often used as a surplus base for airlift and tanker aircraft.
Flight tracking data showed the KC-46 circled near Spangdahlem for just under an hour at an altitude of about 8,000 feet before landing about four hours after takeoff. The aircraft was flying over the Netherlands to take part in an exercise with the Royal Netherlands Air Force.
“This aircraft incident did not impact Exercise Turbo Weasel, an excellent training opportunity for the U.S. and Dutch Air Forces, which took place the week of June 24-28,” a 52nd Fighter Wing spokesperson said.
The Boeing KC-46 has been plagued by problems with its refueling system. The Air Force and Boeing are currently working to resolve several Category I deficiencies, including a “stiff” boom and the Remote Vision System (RVS), a camera and monitor setup that boom operators use to connect tankers with tankers. The system becomes invisible or fades in certain conditions, such as in direct sunlight. The RVS system can also cause problems with the boom operator’s depth perception, which creates the risk that the boom operator could accidentally collide with the aircraft the KC-46 is refueling.
However, the cause of the June 27 incident remains unclear.
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