'Misaligned' fan blades, loss of thrust caused Thunderbird F-16 crash

An Air Combat Command investigation found that misaligned variable vanes in a Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-229 engine caused the December 3, 2025 crash of a Thunderbirds F-16CM near Trona, California. Compressor blades subsequently fractured from fatigue, producing catastrophic engine damage and an unrecoverable loss of thrust at low altitude; the pilot ejected with minor injuries, and the $33.4 million aircraft was destroyed. Investigators could not determine why the vanes turned, but identified earlier foreign-object damage and limited access for internal inspections as significant contributing concerns.