- The F-16 fighter jet crashed at 10.30am local time during a routine training flight
- Pilot, part of elite demonstration team, died – but identity has not been revealed
- Show planned by Thunderbirds for this weekend in California has been cancelled
A Thunderbirds pilot flying a US Air Force F-16 jet has died after his plane crashed during a training exercise in Nevada.
The pilot – part of the Air Force’s elite demonstration team – crashed at Nellis Air Force Base just outside Las Vegas at about 10.30am yesterday morning.
His identity will not be revealed until his next of kin has been informed of his death.
A show planned for this weekend at March Air Reserve Base in California has been canceled and an investigation has been launched.
The pilot – part of the Air Force’s elite demonstration team – crashed at Nellis Air Force Base just outside Las Vegas at about 10.30am yesterday morning. Pictured: A file image of an F-16 flying near the base
In a statement yesterday, the air base said: ‘An Air Force F-16 assigned to Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, crashed at approximately 10:30 am during routine training on the Nevada Test and Training Range.
‘Emergency responders are on the scene. As soon as additional details become available, they will be provided. The accident is under investigation.’
The incident was the third U.S. military aircraft crash this week.
Four crew members were killed when a Marine CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter crashed Tuesday in California during a training mission along the U.S.-Mexico border west of El Centro.
The same day, a Marine Harrier jet crashed during takeoff from an airport in the East African nation of Djibouti. The pilot ejected and was medically evaluated.
Last September at Nellis, a U.S. Air Force pilot died of injuries after a crash on the training range about 100 miles (160 kilometers) northwest of the base.
Officials did not disclose the type of aircraft Lt. Col. Eric Schultz had been piloting. He was assigned to a military command that conducts research and weapon system tests.
In January, an unspecified military aircraft aborted takeoff and caught fire at Nellis, but no serious injuries were reported.
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