Thunderbirds F-16 crashed after misaligned engine vanes led to blade fracture

<p>Pilot ejected as jet lost thrust during formation flight practice over California desert. Investigators have attributed the loss of a Lockheed Martin F-16CM from the US Air Force Thunderbirds aerobatic team to engine compressor blade failure arising from the airflow disruption caused by misaligned variable vanes. Three vanes in the fourth and fifth stages of…</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.flightglobal.com/fixed-wing/2026/09/thunderbirds-f-16-crashed-after-misaligned-engine-vanes-led-to-blade-fracture/">Thunderbirds F-16 crashed after misaligned engine vanes led to blade fracture</a> first appeared on <a href="https://www.flightglobal.com">FlightGlobal</a>.</p>