Another South Dakota Air National Guard F-16 Nosedives Off End of Runway
A similar scene unfolded at Joe Foss Field in Sioux Falls on Tuesday after another military jet had issues with its landing.
According to Dakota News Now, a second F-16 from the 114th Fighter Wing of the South Dakota Air National Guard had issues with a landing, rolled off the end of the runway, and stopped with its nose in the dirt.
The pilot was not injured after the rough landing following a training mission.
A safety board will conduct an investigation into the incident.
An almost identical incident occurred on May 11 when the same type of jet went off the southeast end of the runway closest to Minnesota Avenue. The pilot in that incident was also not injured.
The 114th Fighter Wing is known as a quality unit. In September of 2021, it was awarded the Spaatz Trophy, which is given to the top flying unit in the nation by the National Guard Association of the United States (NGAUS).
The 114th Fighter Wing has been deployed to 19 countries, sending 400 Airmen to support global operations as well as duties within the United States, including local support of South Dakota's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The fighter jet that is currently flown by the South Dakota Air National Guard is the venerable F-16 Fighting Falcon. It has been flying that jet since 1991, the longest run of any aircraft operated by the 114th Fighter Wing. While the F-16 has been a fixture in the skies over Sioux Falls, the jets currently flown by the unit are not the originals. In 2010 the newer Block 40 models of the F-16C were delivered from other bases that had been closed.