Freak accidents are an unfortunate but rare part of life.
The public often does not realize how close some calls have been.
And an elementary school nearly had the worst happen after this scary object fell from the sky.
Air Force fighter jet drops fuel tank that nearly hits an elementary school
An elementary school in Niceville, Florida had a close call when a fuel tank was released by an F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jet.
The fighter with the 96th Test Wing out of Elgin Air Force Base had a 300-gallon fuel tank fall to the ground in a residential section of Niceville.
F-16s carry a pair of external tanks that weigh about 2,400 pounds.
No one was injured or killed by the tank and the property damage was minimal.
The tank landed in the yard of someone’s home.
Edge Elementary School was about 600 yards from where the falling fuel tank landed.
“Only by the grace of God, it landed between two houses,” Niceville City Manager David Deitch told Mid Bay News.
Residents of the neighborhood were startled at the sound of the tank shattering in the yard and the smell of aviation fuel.
Niceville resident Kenneth Lowe said that he came home to discover part of the fuel tank in his driveway.
“There’s a lot of people standing around, wringing their hands about what they are going to do – as far as HAZMAT and so forth,” Lowe recalled.
He said that Air Force jets fly over his house every day.
The accident would not cause him to consider moving.
Air Force investigates mysterious fuel tank drop
The Okaloosa County School District said that students were not at Edge Elementary when the incident happened.
“Our district is aware of the current situation and is in close communication with Okaloosa County Emergency Management to ensure a smooth and safe return for students tomorrow,” Okaloosa County Schools spokeswoman Catherine Card said.
A HAZMAT team from Elgin cleaned up the area and made sure that it was safe after fuel spilled everywhere.
The Air Force began an investigation into what went wrong with the F-16’s fuel tank.
Colonel J.F. Joseph, a retired Marine Corps pilot and aviation expert, told Military.com that part of a military plane falling off is an extremely unusual event.
“It’s not something that somebody really probably had any control over,” Joseph explained. “It’s one thing if somebody’s jettisoning their stores, trying to get rid of weight … but if they inadvertently fall out for whatever reason, there’s simply not much you can do.”
The F-16 incident in Niceville is similar to an event that happened in Ohio last July.
An Ohio National Guard F-16 dropped a fuel tank in an accident that landed in Lake Huron.
The other fuel tank landed in the parking lot of a shopping center and damaged cars parked there.
Elgin Air Force Base’s 96th Test Wing conducts tests on the technology used in military aircraft.
The unit began to experiment with F-16 Fighting Falcons that have “autonomous capabilities” last year.
DeSantis Daily will keep you up-to-date on any new developments in this story.
