An F-16 pilot killed in a November crash over the Gulf of Mexico had become became disoriented and had lost sight of the lead aircraft during a training exercise Disorientation and a loss of visual contact with the lead aircraft caused the fatal crash of an F-16 in November, according to an accident investigation.

Matthew LaCourse, a retired lieutenant colonel and civilian employee with the 82nd Aerial Targets Squadron at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, was attempting to intercept another aircraft during the Nov. 6 exercise when he performed maneuvers that threw off his perception and orientation, was killed upon impact when his F-16C hit the water in the Gulf of Mexico Nov. 6, according to a report released Tuesday by the Air Combat Command Accident Investigation Board.

LaCourse was attempting to intercept another aircraft during a training exercise when he performed maneuvers that threw off his perception and orientation, the report said.

Investigators believe the maneuvers "stimulated fluid in his inner ear canals which are responsible for perceptions of gravity, balance, movement, and direction."

"As a result, he misperceived his angle of bank, angle of pitch, and general position and became spatially disoriented, which resulted in his crash," the report said.

Investigators also believe that LaCourse lost sight of the formation's lead aircraft, which "substantially contributed" to the crash.

There was no damage to private property. The loss of the aircraft is estimated at $22 million.

According to information from the service, LaCourse, 58, graduated from the Air Force Academy in 1978, and retired in 2000 as a lieutenant colonel.

In a statement last year, Col. Alexus Grynkewich, the commander of the 53rd Wing, said LaCourse was "an exceptional pilot and leader."

"His dedication to the mission of the 53rd Weapons Evaluation Group, and his caring and compassion for the airmen who accomplish it — uniformed, civilian, and contractor — was more than evident," Grynkewich said. "He's been part of the 53rd Wing family for the better part of two decades, and his departure leaves us without a great airmen and fighter pilot."

In 2012, Tyndall celebrated LaCourse reaching 2,000 flight hours on the F-4, a rare milestone.

He described it as his favorite plane.

"The F-16 is a sports car, and it was a lot of fun to fly," LaCourse said in 2012. "But the F-4 is my favorite because it is the last of the iron jets and the last of the Vietnam-era fighters."

LaCourse added he had no plans to stop flying.

"I will fly as long as they will let me," he said. "I have the best job. I don't have to sit at a desk in an office. My desk is in the sky."

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