An eight-person depot crew from the 309th Aircraft Maintenance Group at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, recently arrived at Edwards Air Force Base to dismantle a damaged fighter jet. According to a September 23 report, the mission involves surgically deconstructing the aircraft to supply parts for other F-16 Fighting Falcons across the Air Force fleet.
The F-16 Fighting Falcon, identified by tail number A86-0047, arrived at Edwards Air Force Base in 2010. Following a ground mishap that caused irreparable landing gear damage, the aircraft was forced into early retirement from active service in 2026. Master Sgt. Ryan O’Neal, the 416th Aircraft Maintenance Unit section chief, stated that while the jet will no longer fly, its components will support various missions from the boneyard.
The team, which includes Tech. Sgt. Thomas Sickafoose, deployed to California in August to begin the dismantling process. Sickafoose, the team chief from Hill AFB, noted that the mission focuses on salvaging hard-to-find, discontinued parts rather than simple demolition. To ensure precision, the crew coordinated with the 412th Maintenance Squadron at Edwards to cross-check inventories and utilize on-site equipment like overhead cranes.
The deconstruction process required specialized handling for hazardous systems. Cruz Gallardo, the 412th Maintenance Group egress section chief, reported that the 412th egress team rendered the airframe safe by removing Class 1.3 explosives, including canopy removers, trajectory divergence rockets, vernier rockets, and seat rocket catapults. This process was essential for the safe transit of the airframe to its final destination.
The maintenance team worked to detach delicate components, such as the wings, without causing structural damage to the metal. Tech. Sgt. Mikah Mattingly, a fuels specialist from Hill AFB, explained that precision was required when pulling the wings due to the structural finger braces. Once the avionics, structural hardware, and flight controls were secured, the parts were prepared for transport to the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group, known as the boneyard, at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona.
