The F-16C that crashed on April 5, 2017, shortly after departure from Joint Base Andrews, was brought down by faulty reassembly of the main engine control (MEC) unit during overhaul, according to the Air Force Accident Investigation Board assigned to the mishap. The absence of a retaining ring and associated anti-rotation pin led to malfunction of a pilot valve, which caused a massive excess of fuel to be delivered to the engine. The excess fuel first manifested as uncommanded acceleration, but rapidly progressed to engine overspeed and "a severe in-flight engine fire that extended 20 to 30 feet aft of the aircraft," according to the Air Force. No one was killed in the accident. The pilot ejected at 2000 feet after pointing the aircraft toward a wooded area 4 miles southwest of the departure airport.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://www.avweb.com/recent-updates/business-military/f-16-crash-caused-by-bad-maintenance