The Spanish newspaper El Pais has reveal details of the ongoing investigation into the tragic crash of a Greek F-16F Block 50 fighter jet in Albacete, which resulted in the death of eleven people, including both pilots.
According to the report, it appears that the fighter jet’s control system malfunction, however it has not been determined if the malfunction affected the flight control system or the control stick itself.
The report notes that the Greek jet made a sudden 45-degree right turn towards the hangar, where Italian and French jets were being prepared to join the NATO exercise that was to involve 30 jets from 7 countries. The jets were fully-fueled and being prepared for flight, which is why the death toll was so high.
The Greek jet was the fourth one to take off and managed to climb to about 13 meters (40 feet) before the tragic incident occurred. Both pilots managed to eject themselves from the craft, but due to the steep inclination they crashed to the ground and their bodies were recovered near the hangar.
Based on the preliminary report of the Spanish military investigation commission CITAAM (Comisión de Investigación Técnica de Aeronaves Militares), the Greek jet crashed on the runway, exploded and then later slid and crashed into the parked Italian and French aircraft.
The newspaper notes that all necessary security measures and precautions had been taken, as evident by the fact that no country has questioned them. As such, it appears increasingly likely that the tragic incident was the end result of a series of unfortunate events.
