N404AX

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On March 6, 2012 at 0914 Pacific Standard Time (PST, all times in this report are PST unless otherwise noted, and are based on radar and voice recordings from the U.S. Navy Fallon Air Traffic Control (ATC) facility), an Israeli Aircraft Industries Kfir F-21-C2 single-seat turbojet fighter type aircraft, registration N404AX, operated by Airborne Tactical Advantage Company (ATAC) under contract to Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) crashed while attempting an emergency landing at Van Voorhis Airfield, Naval Air Station Fallon, Fallon, Nevada (NFL). The sole occupant pilot aboard was killed and the airplane was substantially damaged by impact forces and fire. The flight was conducted under the provisions of a contract between ATAC and the U.S. Navy to support adversary and electronic warfare training with the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center (NSAWC), which includes the Navy Fighter Weapons School (NFWS) commonly known as "Topgun", among others. The airplane was operating as a non-military public aircraft under the provisions of Title 49 of the United States Code Section 40102 and 40125.

The accident airplane was to be part of an NFWS training exercise consisting of 11 airplanes and was scheduled to depart at 0730. Four of the airplanes were F/A-18's comprising the "blue team," exercising the training mission. The other seven airplanes, 3 F-16s, 3 F/A-18s, and the accident airplane, comprised the "red team," acting in the adversary or aggressor roles for the training scenario (there were F/A-18 C, E, and F; and F-16 A and B variants participating in the exercise, the variants are not significant for this report so will all be termed F/A-18 or F-16 respectively). The pilots involved in the exercise had all participated in a pre-mission briefing beginning at about 0515 that morning. The briefing included tactical information about the exercise, emergency procedures, radio frequencies, deconfliction procedures, weather, and Notices to Airmen. The airplanes participating in the exercise were assigned radio call sign "Topgun" followed by two digits. The accident airplane's radio call sign was "Topgun29."

Prior to takeoff, the accident pilot radioed the duty weather observer (DWO) about the conditions twice, at about 0723 and again at 0745, because snow flurries and gusty winds had begun earlier than forecast. The DWO advised the accident pilot of an advisory which called for variable winds from southwest to northwest at 20-25 knots with peak gusts to 38 knots. The DWO also advised that there were radar-observed snow showers north of the airport that would arrive in about 30 to 45 minutes. At the time, the Fallon terminal area forecast called for greater than seven miles visibility and no other conditions below criteria for the mission, typically five miles visibility with a defined horizon. At about the same time, one of the other red team airplanes who departed early as a weather pathfinder, observed the weather in the exercise area was sufficient.

At about 0748, Topgun29 departed and proceeded to the mission area normally. Investigators estimated that the airplane used about 400 liters of fuel during start, taxi, and awaiting clearance. The exercise proceeded according to the brief, with some limitations due to cloud layers.

An F-16 that had been conducting an unrelated currency flight in the same area returned to NFL prior to the Topgun exercise. He reported that at about 0834, the cloud base was about 7,600 feet (the initial approach altitude) and observed weather moving in from the north.

At about this time, the exercise was concluded and airplanes began to return to NFL. Snow began falling at the airport, and an ATAC employee in their facility on the field radioed the accident pilot on a company frequency to advise him that the weather was deteriorating. The pilot acknowledged and said he was already returning. At this time, the airplane was about 22 miles southeast of the airport at 10,000 feet. The accident pilot was the sixth of the exercise airplanes to check back in with NFL ATC Approach Control (AP) returning to base.

The pilots ahead of the accident pilot all experienced steadily worsening weather. Two F/A-18s were able to conduct visual approaches and landed uneventfully. Both pilots reported rapidly deteriorating conditions. The third returning exercise flight landed at 0843 and was the last to conduct a visual approach.

The next arrival, Topgun24, was unable to maintain visual contact with the third airplane and was broken off the approach to be radar vectored for a Precision Approach Radar (PAR) procedure. At about this time, the accident pilot and another F/A 18, Topgun 22, established radio contact with NFL AP. AP began the initial sequence of vectors and instructions to the accident pilot at about 0843 (now the first in the sequence of three), and a fourth pilot also made radio contact (Topgun28). AP's task was to provide ATC separation and sequencing to the inbound airplanes toward the initial part of the radar approach, at which point the radar final controller would take over and provide precise navigational guidance to the runway.

The Radar Final Controller 1 (RFC1) acquired radar and radio contact with the accident pilot at about 0844 and gave several consecutive course calls of "well right of course and correcting" utilizing the surveillance radar control console (which does not display the precise glide path as the PAR does) while attempting to set up the PAR console. Between eight and nine miles from touchdown, RFC1 instructed the accident pilot to begin descent, but after two more course calls of "well right of course and correcting," informed him "radar contact lost" and instructed him to execute a missed approach at 0846 when the airplane was about 3 miles southeast of the airport at 7,000 feet. The accident pilot then contacted AP who informed him that he was taken out due to a radar "malfunction" and provided vectors for the missed approach pattern. At this time the NFL weather observation indicated winds were from 340° at 21 knots with gusts to 31 knots, visibility one and a half statute miles in light snow.

At this time, an additional radar final controller (RFC2) was called over to assist RFC1 with the setup of the PAR equipment. The pilot of Topgun24, who had been holding to conduct a PAR, declared a low fuel state. Topgun24 was handed off to RFC1 and successfully landed at 0856. At about this time, weather was relayed to another pilot indicating ground visibility was ½ mile.

Meanwhile the accident airplane tracked further east than a normal radar approach pattern before being vectored to the downwind leg. The total length of the pattern flown by the accident airplane was 53 miles.

At 0854 RFC2 began PAR approach guidance to the accident pilot. For about the next minute, RFC2 issued guidance to bring the airplane onto the approach course. At 0855 RFC2 advised the pilot he was approaching the glide path (vertical guidance).

The airplanes flight path varied both laterally and vertically from the approach, as the pilot responded to RFC2 instructions. From 0856:38 the airplane's lateral deviation varied from "slightly right of course [and] going further right" to 16 seconds later "going well left of course". RFC2 also advised the pilot that he was "above glide path." At this point the accident pilot said "I need to divert to Reno [International Airport (RNO)]" and initiated a missed approach climb and was instructed to contact AP. At this time, the official weather observation at NFL had dropped to ½ mile visibility.

At 0857:28 AP was providing vectors to two other returning airplanes, Topgun 22 and 28, and advised the accident pilot to "maintain 10,000 [feet] and heading 310, standby for further clearance." At 0858:09, AP instructed the pilot to climb to 12,000 feet and change transponder code. AP asked the pilot to "say reason for divert?" the pilot replied that "I haven't got the gas to do this again, [they] got a half mile vis[ibility]", and requested to divert to RNO via a 260 degree heading. AP cleared the pilot to RNO via the Mustang navigational aid and to maintain 12,000 feet.

At 0902, Topgun22 successfully landed at NFL and reported braking action poor.

At 0903, the accident airplane was about 22 miles west of NFL (28 miles east of RNO), and the pilot advised AP to coordinate with Northern California Terminal Radar Approach Controller (NCT) that he would be emergency fuel. AP called NCT and advised of the pilot's intentions and that he was emergency fuel. NCT acknowledged and stated that Reno was also below weather minimums. At the time, RNO was reporting ½ mile visibility the visibility minima for the Instrument Landing System (ILS) minimum is 1 ½ miles and the non-precision approach minima are at least 2 ½ miles. The accident airplane, like most of the Navy airplanes, was not equipped with an ILS receiver.

Shortly after, AP instructed the pilot to contact NCT. He did not relay the weather minimum advisory to the pilot. At 0904, the pilot checked in to the NCT frequency, the controller repeated the advisory about RNO weather and asked the pilot's intentions. The pilot said he would go back to NFL, and NCT provided vectors.

At 0905 Topgun28 successfully landed at NFL.

The accident pilot made contact with NFL AP at 12,000 feet proceeding direct to NFL and stated he was "critical fuel." AP replied to expect to be number one in the arrival sequence. At 0906 the pilots of Topgun25 and Topgun23 asked AP numerous times if the airport (NFL) was able to accept approaches. There was no response by NFL AP. At 0907, the accident pilot began a transmission which was interfered with by other radio calls. AP then instructed the pilot to fly a heading of 100 degrees and descend to 10,000 feet, "report [the airport] in sight when able." AP also reported NFL conditions were ½ mile...