US F-16 Fighter Jet Crashes: The F-16C Fighting Falcon crashed around 10:45 a.m. during a training mission “over controlled airspace in California.” (Photo: X/ @Breaking911) US F-16 Fighter Jet Crashes: An F-16 fighter jet with the US Air Force Thunderbirds, which is the elite aerial demonstration unit, crashed in the southern California desert on Wednesday, but the pilot managed to eject safely moments before the impact, the US military said.
Moment F-16C fighter jet crashes near Trona Airport in California. https://t.co/ND38ddIP5B pic.twitter.com/knsgPCUFsY
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) December 3, 2025
The pilot is in stable condition and is being treated at a hospital for non-life threatening injuries, according to the San Bernardino County Fire Department, AP reported. The F-16C Fighting Falcon crashed around 10:45am on Wednesday while performing a training mission “over controlled airspace in California,” informed Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada.
The San Bernardino Fire Department, in a statement, said that they responded to an “aircraft emergency” near Trona, in the Mojave Desert about 180 miles north of Los Angeles. It remains unclear what actually caused the crash.
Upon crashing, the F-16C Fighting Falcon hit a dry lake bed in the Mojave desert which created a plume of smoke and a sound that was reportedly heard in the surrounding areas, emergency responders said, New York Times reported.
(with inputs from AP)