Air Force says $22M jet crash caused by assembly error

Zachary Cohen
By Zachary Cohen, CNN
3 minute read
Published 6:43 PM EDT, Thu October 26, 2017
A US F-16 military jet crashes near Joint Base Andrews on April 4, 2017
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F-16 jet crashes in Maryland
01:34 - Source: CNN

Story highlights

The crash occurred on April 5 during a routine surface attack training mission

Large portions of the aircraft were found intact after the crash

Washington CNN  — 

Investigators have concluded that a $22 million US Air Force F-16 fighter jet crashed near Joint Base Andrews, Maryland earlier this year because its engine was improperly assembled and was missing key parts, the service announced Thursday.

The crash occurred April 5 during a routine surface attack training mission.

Shortly after departing Joint Base Andrews, the aircraft “experienced an uncommanded engine acceleration, followed by a loss of thrust,” forcing the pilot to execute “critical action procedures for low altitude engine failure,” according to an Air Force press release.

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Rebecca Updegrave Cline/AP
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navy.mil
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