United States Air Force F-15D Crash

A United States Air Force F-15D assigned to the 173rd Fighter Wing suffered a hydraulic failure and returned to Kingsley Field, Oregon, for an emergency landing. The jet touched down at about 160mph and the braking system failed; miscommunication with air traffic control left the arresting cable unavailable, and the pilot veered right to avoid the runway lighting, skidded off the pavement, struck a berm and came to rest in an irrigation canal. He escaped with minor injuries. The accident board faulted the decision not to use the emergency brake, maintenance troubleshooting and communication. The Air Force valued the destroyed airframe at $35.5 million.