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Air Force pilot ejects before F-16 fighter jet crashes
Posted
December 4, 2025
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December 4, 2025
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0:22Now PlayingA fighter jet with the Air Force's elite Thunderbirds demonstration squadron crashed in the Southern California desert Wednesday, but the pilot managed to eject safely, the military said.
The pilot was being treated at a hospital for injuries that were not life-threatening, according to the San Bernardino County Fire Department.
The F-16C Fighting Falcon crashed around 10:45 a.m. during a training mission “over controlled airspace in California,” according to a statement from Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada.
The fire department said it had responded to an “aircraft emergency” near Trona, an unincorporated community in the Mojave Desert about 180 miles (290 kilometers) north of Los Angeles.
In 2022, a Navy F/A-18E Super Hornet crashed near Trona, killing the pilot.
Wednesday's crash is under investigation and further information will be released from the 57th Wing Public Affairs Office, the Air Force statement said.
Like the Navy's Blue Angels, the Air Force Thunderbirds perform their famous tight formations at air shows, and train to fly within inches of each other. The brief statement from the Air Force did not give details on the circumstances of the crash.
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