Two videos posted to the US Air Force amn / nco / snco Facebook page show an F-16 Fighting Falcon forced landing on the fuselage without landing gear at Aviano Air Force Base in northeastern Italy.
The incident on March 2 resulted in no injuries.
Journalist Rachel S. Cohen reported on the occurrence two days later in the Air Force Times, stating that - a US Air Force pilot must have landed his F-16C Fighting Falcon plane in Italy after having a flying failure, resulting in the closure of residential complexes near the runway.
The Aviano Air Force Emergency Response Teams were dispatched to the scene and were able to secure the area. All other base operations have resumed, according to Natalie Stanley, a spokeswoman for the United States Air Forces.
As a precaution, several areas of the base were shuttered during the emergency. Hydrazine leaking is one of the problems associated with Viper (as the F-16 is commonly known) emergencies in general (H-70, a mixture of 70 percent hydrazine and 30 percent water).
Hydrazine is a colorless liquid used in aviation backup power systems to power electrical systems and the Emergency Power Unit (EPU). When engaged, it supplies emergency power to aircraft systems in the event of an electrical breakdown, giving pilots enough time to safely land the plane.
Hydrazine is a very dangerous and combustible chemical that can be accidentally replaced with water but has an ammonia-like odor. H-70 vapors can be exceedingly harmful to human health depending on the length of exposure.
The F-16 in question was assigned to the 31st Combat Wing at Aviano Air Base. The 555th Triple Nickel Combat Squadron and the 510th Buzzards Combat Squadron are two F-16 squadrons assigned to the 31st Fighter Wing in Avian. According to Business Insider, the alleged F-16 belongs to the latter squadron, and it had to land on the fuselage after losing the wheel of the main landing gear while taking off on a patrol mission over Eastern Europe.
Due to the situation in Ukraine, the F-16 Aviano Air Base is presently undertaking increased air policing missions in support of regional security activities.
