On Friday, July 10, 2015 at 2:28:29 PM UTC-7, Hartley Falbaum wrote:
/snip/

Do we know for sure?--Most, if not all Power Planes (Airplanes in FAA speak) are transponder equipped.
If so equipped, they are required to be on. If VFR, then squawk code 1200.. Most likely this Cessna 150 had a transponder and thus turned on, even if not communicating with ATC by radio. Military talks to their own controllers usually, was the F-16 talking to the civilian controllers?
I am seriously considering installing a transponder in my glider, and I am a CFII so no qualms about talking to ATC. But I wonder--would a transponder have prevented this collision.

Hartley Falbaum
DG808C "KF" USA

Very, very sad.

The F-16C was operating out of Joint Base Charleston (KCHS), apparently practicing instrument approaches. (e.g. see http://www.postandcourier.com/articl...C16/150709558). I have not see any details on exactly what the F16C or Cessna 150M was doing or who the Cessna may have been talking to. The Monck's corner area includes fixes and holding patterns for KCHS instrument approaches. KCHS is Class C, and the collision apparently happened well outside that Class C airspace.

According to Kathryn's report, both aircraft had operating transponders. http://www.kathrynsreport.com/2015/0...ng-falcon.html
That Cessna also show up in the flightaware flight tracking databases, which confirms that it has a transponder installed, at least in the past. Radar and audio tapes should hopefully solve this one quickly...

And to preempt any TCAS questions, no an F16 does not have TCAS.