A series of “potential activations” of an F-16’s emergency power unit over several hours during routine maintenance Tuesday at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona sent 13 airmen to the hospital with possible exposure to hydrazine, a highly toxic fuel. All 13 airmen were evaluated at a nearby hospital and have since been released, the base said.
The initial event involving the first ten airmen happened at 4:40 p.m. local time after an F-16’s EPU was somehow activated.
Response teams first shut down and cleared the area to investigate, and no hydrazine was detected. The response team terminated the ground emergency at approximately 5:22 p.m, base officials said. Approximately five hours later, the response team declared another ground emergency related to the same F-16 at about 9:45 p.m. Teams again confirmed no hydrazine release from the EPU, and the ground emergency was terminated.
Three more airmen were transported to local hospitals “out of an abundance of caution,” base officials said, after the second emergency.
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The F-16 has been taken off the flight line for further testing.
Hydrazine is a key propellant widely used in the military’s fighter jets and NASA and SpaceX’s shuttles and rockets. It is toxic, caustic, and a probable carcinogen to people and can be absorbed within seconds of contact with bare skin, inhalation, and ingestion. When absorbed through the skin, liquid hydrazine acts as a neurotoxin and can cause severe burns, seizures, and death.
Should someone become exposed, treatment of acute hydrazine toxicity involves removal of the exposed personnel to at least 75 feet away, decontamination, and administration of pyridoxine, better known as Vitamin B6.
It’s a regular threat that the 56th Fighter Wing, based at Luke Air Force Base in Phoenix, Arizona, which houses the largest fighter wing in the Air Force. A part of the Air Education and Training Command oversees the training of F-16 and F-35 pilots; 75% of the world’s F-35 pilots are trained at Luke.