The crash of a £33m fighter jet which killed a US pilot was caused by ‘reduced visibility’ and the airman’s ‘fixation’ on intercepting a simulated enemy aircraft, an investigation has found.
First Lieutenant Kenneth Allen was tragically killed in June, when his F15-C Eagle fighter plane plummeted into the North Sea off Flamborough Head on the east coast of Yorkshire.
And an investigation by the Unit ed States Air Force in Europe (USAFE) found that ‘reduced visibility’ prevented Lt. Allen from being able to make out the horizon, resulting in ‘spatial disorientation’.
Lt Kenneth Allen, pictured, died after the F-15C Eagle he was flying on a training exercise from RAF Lakenheath in Sussex died after he crashed into the North Sea after losing situational awareness after unexpectedly flying into cloud
The £33m F-15C, similar to this, emerged from cloud at 1,000ft at high speed and was heading rapidly towards the sea giving Lt Allen no chance to eject
The investigation also found that the pilot, who was based at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk, became ‘fixated’ with intercepting a simulated enemy aircraft.
Lt. Allen failed to execute vital cockpit instrument visual scans when he encountered ‘Instrument Meteorological Conditions’ – when he unexpectedly flew into clouds.
Lt. Allen had only arrived at 48th Fighter Wing, at RAF Lakenheath, in February 2020.
The fatal crash occurred at approx. 9.40am on Monday, June 15.
General Jeff Harrigian, USAFE and Air Forces Africa Commander, said: ‘This unfortunate accident is yet another reminder of the inherent risks Airmen take on a daily basis to ensure the successes of our Air Force.
‘Lt. Allen was an outstanding officer and a tremendous asset to the team. No words can compensate for such a painful and sudden loss.’
And Colonel Jason Camilletti, 48th Fighter Wing Commander, added: ‘The loss of an Airman is never easy, and this aircraft accident was no exception.
‘Our Liberty Wing community, especially the Reapers of the 493rd Fighter Squadron, was truly touched by the tremendous outpouring of support from families, friends and partners around the globe in our time of grieving.’
The mishap occurred during a routine local combat training flight.
Lt Allen, pictured with his wife Hannah, was killed in June 2020. The enquiry heard Lt Allen attempted to save his aircraft but run out of altitude before crashing into the North Sea
The inability of the pilot to accurately sense the pitch attitude of the aircraft due to spatial disorientation, significantly contributed to his ‘undesirable’ low pitch attitude, rapidly descending altitude, and the resulting incident.
The aircraft, valued at approximately £33 million, was destroyed.
The United States Air Force Aircraft Accident Investigation Board Report found ‘reduced visibility and lack of a discernible horizon for the pilot resulted in spatial disorientation’.
There were ‘multiple layers of cloud’ in the area, the report said.
On exiting cloud at around 1,000ft ‘with a visible horizon and ‘ground rush’ of the rapidly approaching ocean’, Lt Allen ‘initiated a recovery attempt… but was unable to complete the recovery based upon the low altitude and speed of his descent’, the report said.
It found he did not attempt to eject.
He is survived by wife Hannah and his parents.
The couple married in a civil ceremony in February, and Mrs Allen described him as ‘the love of my life’.
HM Coastguard, which co-ordinated search efforts after the crash, received reports that an aircraft had gone into the sea 74 nautical miles off the coast of Flamborough Head in Yorkshire.
Wreckage of the aircraft, valued at around, £33.4 million, was located before Lt Allen was found and confirmed to be dead.