The U.S. Air Force on Wednesday said search and rescue efforts were still being conducted for the missing pilot of an F-16 aircraft that crashed Tuesday evening in Nevada.
A U.S. Air Force Block 40 F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft returns to the fight after receiving fuel from a KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft during a mission over Iraq on June 10, 2008. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Andy Dunaway)
The F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft took off from Nellis Air Force Base, which is located about 7 miles northeast of Las Vegas and was conducting air-to-air combat exercises about 150 miles north of the city. At around 5:30 pm local time, the aircraft crashed in an area some 20 miles west of Caliente in Nevada’s Lincoln County, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.
With the U.S. Air Force deploying another helicopter in search of the missing pilot on Wednesday morning, there have now been three choppers working on search and rescue missions.
The incident occurred within the 12,000-square-mile military airspace that surrounds the 3-million-acre range, including 5,000 square miles over public land, Nellis Air Force Base spokesman Chuck Ramey told the media outlet.
However, according to Brigadier General T.J. O’Shaughnessy, commander of the 57th Wing at Nellis Air Force Base, search and rescue teams were trying to spot the parachute and pilot in the suspected crash site, which sits beyond the Nevada Test and Training Range. O’Shaughnessy said the aircraft were conducting a “dogfight” exercise but were not equipped with live weaponry with an active locating device.
