AIR FORCE THUNDERBIRDS PILOT DIES IN NEVADA F-16 CRASH

A U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds pilot was killed in the crash of his F-16 Fighting Falcon jet during training over the Nevada desert, the service said Thursday.

The jet went down around 10:30 a.m. Wednesday during a routine aerial demonstration training flight over the remote Nevada Test and Training Range, according to a statement from Nellis Air Force Base, where the Thunderbirds are based.

The pilot’s name was withheld pending notification of next of kin.

An investigation of the crash is underway and the Thunderbirds’ appearance this weekend at March Air Reserve Base in California was canceled.

The Air Force said it was not known how the accident will affect the remainder of the Thunderbirds’ 2018 season.

The incident was the third U.S. military aircraft crash this week.

Four crew members died in the crash of a Marine CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter in California during a training mission along the U.S.-Mexico border west of El Centro Tuesday. The same day, a Marine Harrier jet crashed on takeoff from an airport in the East African nation of Djibouti. The pilot ejected.

The Air Force formed the Thunderbirds in 1953. The team’s worst accident was the “Diamond Crash” in 1982. Four pilots were killed when their planes went down at Thunderbird Lake. A malfunction in the leader’s plane led him and the three others to crash in the diamond formation straight into the desert.



UPCOMING EVENTS

COMMODITIES DISTRIBUTION IN CUMBERLAND COUNTY MAY 14, 20242024tue14may9:00 am9:00 am

CONTACT INFORMATION

3B Media
105.7 The HOG / Spirit 101.9/ 93.3 The Ranch
94.1 The VIBE / 98.9 The WOLF
37 South Drive
Crossville, TN 38555

Phone: 931-484-1057
Fax: 931-707-0580