Both On Board Appear To Be OK

An Air Force Thunderbird F-16 was involved in an incident earlier today during practice for their performance at the Dayton Air Show this weekend.

Multiple sources report that the aircraft exited the runway at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and flipped over, landing on its top. Montgomery County Sheriff's office spokesperson Penelope Reed said that the incident was first reported at 12:31 p.m. and that the base had dispatched heavy rescue equipment to the scene.

There were no immediate reports of injuries, fuel leaks or a post-incident fire. Thunderbirds public affairs spokesperson Tabatha McCarthy would only say that there was an "incident" while the plane was on the ground but had no other details.

A photographer for television station WHIO said the aircraft was taxiing towards the staging area when there was a wind gust that appeared to flip the airplane over. The Dayton Daily News reports that the area has been experiencing heavy rains today.

The Thunderbirds were practicing today for their performance this weekend at the show. It has not been reported whether the performance will go on as scheduled.
 
(Image from file)

FMI: afthunderbirds.com