Air Force: F-16C pilot missing after crash - Air Force News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Air Force Times

Air Force: F-16C pilot missing after crash

LAS VEGAS — Air Force officials on Wednesday searched for a missing pilot one day after a fighter jet crashed in the Nevada desert during training exercises.

The F-16C Fighting Falcon was participating in a combat training mission at the time of the crash, about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, said Brig. Gen. T.J. O’Shaughnessy of the 57th Wing said.

“There was one pilot, and a search and rescue mission is under way to locate the pilot,” O’Shaughnessy told reporters during a news conference late Tuesday night.

The search is taking place on federal land roughly 120 miles north of Las Vegas, about 20 miles west of Caliente. Las Vegas is home to Nellis Air Force Base, which trains pilots in military flight and combat, frequently sending jets soaring over empty Nevada desert.

Air Force officials did not release the pilot’s name, citing privacy concerns.

The plane involved was the type used by the Air Force’s aerial demonstration team, the Thunderbirds. The Falcon, developed by Lockheed Martin Corp., costs $18.8 million to produce and can travel at speeds up to 1,500 mph.

Calling the crash a “mishap,” O’Shaughnessy said the investigation was in its early stages.

“For the next several weeks, a trained Safety Investigation Board will focus their exclusive efforts on collecting and protecting evidence from the scene and gathering and analyzing all relevant data with the specific purpose of determining cause so we may prevent future mishaps,” he said.

A 2008 accident killed a Nellis airman after he went into a violent spin while attempting a basic turn maneuver at about 350 mph in an F-15 jet.