2000
Lt. Col. Scott Baldwin
Lt. Col. Scott Baldwin distinguished himself through conspicuous valor and courage while participating in aerial night flight as a mission pilot for the 158th Fighter Wing, Vermont Air National Guard, Burlington International Airport, South Burlington, Vermont, on 23 February 2000. During that mission, Baldwin demonstrated the highest levels of gallantry, intrepidity, initiative, resourcefulness, and achievement of outstanding results with unusual presence of mind and under extremely adverse conditions.
Baldwin was piloting a single-seat F-16C Fighting Falcon as number two of a four-ship night vision goggle upgrade mission. He was preparing for an Operation Southern Watch tasking. After completing training in the Falcon AKS airspace, he leveled off at an intermediate descent altitude of 11,000 feet for approach and landing while en route to Burlington International Airport. He then advanced the throttle to full military power to accelerate at that altitude. When he reached the desired airspeed, Baldwin retarded the throttle. But he did not feel the resistance he expected for normal throttle operation. He cycled the throttle forward and aft freely and observed no change in any engine indications. Baldwin was twenty miles from the airbase at 11,000 feet with an engine at military power and a fully inoperable throttle.
The weather at Burlington International presented a ceiling at 6,000 feet. Baldwin initiated coordination with the Supervisor of Flying to evaluate possible solutions to his very grave situation. Meanwhile, he maintained control of his F-16-with an engine stuck in full military power-by turning with moderate- to heavy-g loadings and applying full speedbrakes-simultaneously. The aircraft would otherwise have reached supersonic speeds in a very short time.
An emergency was declared. Baldwin attempted to regain engine control by selecting the alternate mode of engine control (Secondary Engine Control), Again, no effect on throttle control of the engine. With no other possible means of regaining control, surveyed his options. He could navigate to the controlled ejection area, run the Controlled Ejection checklist, attempt to slow the aircraft as much as possible to minimize parachute opening shock injuries, and then perform a night ejection into an unpopulated mountainous region. Or he could attempt an engine-out landing, at night, and at an airfield with a low ceiling.
Landing an engine-out F-16 during daylight under a 6,000 -foot ceiling would be an amazing achievement. Landing an engine-out F-16 at night with clear skies would have been a tremendous feat of airmanship. Simulated flame-out landings are performed in the F-16 only during daylight; pilots are not trained in the aircraft or in the simulator to perform flameout landings at night. Successfully completing an engine-out landing at night and in poor weather would make this one of the most meritorious flights in the history of the F-16.
The maneuver was further complicated by the fact that Baldwin would have to start his approach from a random entry point, run the aircraft out of fuel, and, whether pointing towards the airport or away from it, use that direction as the start of his approach. He had no way of shutting the engine off from the cockpit. The inoperable throttle could not be moved to off. And the engine fuel shutoff switch would not shut off the supply of fuel because of atechnical order applicable to this model of F-16.
Baldwin descended below the ceiling to evaluate the weather and to determine if a flameout approach was possible after the F-16C exhausted its remaining fuel. Baldwin, one of the most experienced pilots in the Wing, assessed that he could perform a flameout landing, in spite of the great personal risk to himself. To reduce his landing weight and minimize the runway required, he jettisoned his two empty 370-gallon wing fuel tanks in a nearby lake, the safest location possible under the conditions. (He even maintained the presence of mind to mark the location of the tank jettison, which later enabled a search party to quickly locate these tanks.) That load gone, Baldwin had approximately 1,800 pounds of fuel remaining, or about twelve minutes of engine operation prior to flameout. Still working to control his F-16 stuck at full military power, he had to plan his pattern to ensure he would flameout in a position that would allow him to attempt a flameout approach and landing. He would have no second chance. He had to induce extra g force to slow below the required gear lowering speed and manually activate the emergency power unit.
As Baldwin approached the Burlington runway with 400 pounds of fuel remaining, the supervisor of flying confirmed the correct airspeeds for the flameout landing. Baldwin judged the last turn to his desired point on the airfield. The engine, starved for fuel, quit and Baldwin lowered the arresting hook. In a feat of flawless airmanship, he touched down 1,000 feet down the runway. A perfect flameout approach. This landing was so skillfully flown that Baldwin stopped the aircraft well before the departure end cable and the arresting cable was not needed.
After landing, Baldwin calmly coordinated with the Airport Fire and Rescue crews to ensure the Emergency Power Unit was shut down and the aircraft was secure. Later, investigation by qualified maintenance personnel revealed the throttle linkage had become disconnected. It could not be reconnected in flight.
On a cloudless day mission, this landing would have been a very difficult procedure for safely recovering the F-16. On a low ceiling night, such as the night Baldwin endured, this airmanship ranks as one of the most impressive F-16 recoveries ever in the history of the Fighting Falcon. The superior airmanship, flawless execution, and shear bravery shown by Baldwin directly account for the safe recovery of this combat coded aircraft and the prevention of danger to civilians in the surrounding, heavily populated area. The professional skill and airmanship displayed by Lt. Col. Scott Baldwin reflect great credit upon him and upon the United States Air Force.
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