Braxton Taylor
A fuel tank fell off an F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jet from Eglin Air Force Base on Tuesday, landing in a residential neighborhood just shy of an elementary school outside of the Florida military base.
The base’s 96th Test Wing confirmed to Military.com in an emailed statement that the incident occurred around 11 a.m. local time in Niceville, Florida, “within close proximity” to the installation. No one was injured or killed by the fuel tank’s plummet to the ground.
Mid Bay News, a local digital news outlet, reported that the fuel tank missed cars, people and homes in the fall, ultimately landing in someone’s yard.
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“Only by the grace of God, it landed between two houses,” Niceville City Manager David Deitch told Mid Bay News.
Air Force officers and security forces were seen in the residential area investigating the incident on Tuesday, and images of the scrap metal lying on the ground were shared by the digital news outlet.
The spot where the fuel tank landed was roughly 600 meters from Edge Elementary School, Mid Bay News reported. The Okaloosa County School District told Military.com in an emailed statement that students were not at school at the time of the incident but were set to return the following day.
“Our district is aware of the current situation and is in close communication with Okaloosa County Emergency Management to ensure a smooth and safe return for students tomorrow,” Catherine Card, an Okaloosa County Schools spokesperson, told Military.com on Tuesday.
The incident outside of Eglin Air Force Base mirrors a similar event that occurred in July.
An F-16 from the Ohio National Guard reportedly dropped a fuel tank during an emergency. One part of the tank fell in Lake Huron in Michigan and exploded, and the other landed in a parking lot where some vehicles were damaged, the local county sheriff’s department said.
Retired Col. J.F. Joseph, a Marine Corps pilot who is now an aviation consultant and expert witness, told Military.com on Tuesday evening that items such as fuel tanks, refueling hoses and panels have fallen off of military aircraft in the past.
He added that most of the time when something falls off an aircraft, especially into a crowded or populated area, it’s unexpected.
“It’s not something that somebody really probably had any control over. It’s one thing if somebody’s jettisoning their stores, trying to get rid of weight … but if they inadvertently fall out for whatever reason, there’s simply not much you can do,” Joseph said.
The 96th Test Wing’s mission involves testing and evaluating weapons, navigation and guidance systems and other technology for aircraft. Notably, last year, Eglin announced that three F-16 Fighting Falcons were going to be modified to test “autonomous capabilities.”
Additional details were not provided by the base on Tuesday evening, and the incident is currently under investigation.
Related: F-16 Crashes at Nevada Training Range
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