A crash-response team from Hill Air Force Base left Thursday morning for the site of a fatal F-16 accident in Utah's western desert, planning to comb through the wreckage of Hill's second deadly crash within a month.
Four of Hill's F-16s have been wrecked or had "significant damage" in a little more than a year.
The investigation team left at 5 a.m. and was taking hours to reach the site of the latest tragedy. "Due to the recent inclement weather, it was a flooded area," said Air Force 1st Lt. Garrett Grochowski.
The body of Lt. Col. Dillon L. McFarland, 40, was recovered Wednesday.
McFarland, 40, a reservist from Layton who in civilian life was a commercial airline pilot, was killed in the crash about 2 p.m. Wednesday. Hill spokeswoman Capt. Monica Bland said McFarland was married and had two children. He was assistant director of operations for the 419th Fighter Wing, a reserve unit assigned to Hill.
McFarland's jet went down while on a combat training mission over the Utah Test and Training Range 25 miles northeast of Wendover. It had been flying in formation with three other jets before the accident.
"Our deepest sympathies go out to the family and friends of the warrior we lost today," said Col. Wayne Conroy, commander of the 419th. Conroy spent most of Tuesday night with McFarland's family.
"The Air Force will conduct a thorough investigation to attempt to determine the cause of the accident and to make recommendations to alleviate future incidents of this type."
Bad weather late Wednesday prevented other F-16s from Hill from making a reconnaissance of the site. However, Utah National Guard helicopters were able to approach the crash location.
"We have surveyed the site. We sent out HH-60 helicopters (from the National Guard) that reached the site" on Wednesday, said Grochowski.
On Oct. 25, 1st Lt. Jorma D. Huhtala was killed during a training exercise 25 miles southwest of Wendover when his jet collided with another from Hill. The other pilot parachuted to safety. Huhtala was a member of the 4th Fighter Squadron, part of the 388th Fighter Wing.
The latest accident brings to three jets that Hill has lost since late October, as the Oct. 25 accident downed two of the jets, which cost between $16 million and $20 million each, depending on the model.
In April 1998, Col. Ronald E. Fly was removed as commander of Hill's 388th Fighter Wing because the base had a poor safety record, with several crashes within a few months.
The training range, known by its initials UTTR, is a 2,675-square-mile area west of the Great Salt Lake. Military planes fly about 22,000 sorties there every year.
McFarland, originally from South Dakota, graduated from the Air Force Academy in 1975. He has flown from Hill since 1998.
A board of officers will investigate the latest accident. Their examination is expected to take two months.
Other recent crashes of Hill jets included:
Oct. 25, Huhtala was killed in a collision of two F-16s while the pilot of the other plane, Capt. David Roszmann, ejected safely. At the time, four of the jets had been flying in formation in air-to-air combat training.
Oct. 17, 2001, a pilot ejected safely as an F-16 failed during takeoff. The plane "did sustain significant damage," said a Hill spokeswoman.
June 21, 2000, a Hill F-16 hit a pelican in Canada and crashed. The pilot had minor injuries and the plane was destroyed.
July 28, 1999, an F-16's landing gear collapsed after the plane touched down at Hill. The pilot was unhurt.
July 12, 1999, an F-16 hit a bird during takeoff. The pilot was not injured and damage to the plane was minimal.
Nov. 9, 1998, Major Gregory C. Martineac was killed when his F-16 crashed on the Bonneville Salt Flats.
June 19, 1998, an F-16 crashed on takeoff at Hill, and the pilot suffered minor injuries.
March 23, 1998, a pilot ejected safely as an F-16 skidded off the runway at Hill.
Jan. 8, 1998, a pilot was uninjured as his F-16 crashed near Wendover, because the engine shut down.
Jan. 7, 1998, two F-16s collided over the test range. One crashed, causing minor injuries to the pilot, while the other landed safely.
E-mail: lhancock@desnews.com ; bau@desnews.com