Communication is key to understanding one another, especially when flying an aircraft.
In October, miscommunication led to an accidental mid-air collision between two F16 jets, one flown by a student pilot who traveled 100 miles to safety in the damaged aircraft, during a mock chasing training session, the U.S. Air Force announced on Friday, according to The Washington Post.
Neither pilot was seriously injured in the collision that cost an estimated $22.5 million.
The accident happened at an altitude of 7,500 feet while both pilots were simulating chasing down an imaginary third jet. They lost sight of each other's aircrafts just prior to the collision.
The instructor ejected from his jet seconds after the accident, which clipped the right wing of his aircraft, quite close to the fuselage. His aircraft crashed in the Oklahoma town of Moline shortly after he ejected. The other plane lost five feet off of its right wing, yet the student pilot was still able to fly and land it, thanks to the help of another pilot who flew to the area to assess if it was safe to land there, according to The Washington Post.
The instructor is heavily experienced in flying, as he had nearly 2,400 hours of flying time at the time of the incident. On the other hand, the student had only 106 hours experience controlling an F16.
Both planes, which took off from Tulsa Air National Guard Base, were a part of the Oklahoma Air National Guard base.
Check out images of the planes, which the U.S. Air Force released at the conclusion of its investigation, below.
