An F-16 Fighting Falcon from Holloman AFB crashed in New Mexico this afternoon.
According to a statement from the 49th Wing, the incident occurred near White Sands National Park just before noon local time.
The pilot survived, but the cause of the crash is unknown.
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The pilot ejected and survived. They were then taken by ambulance for medical treatment. It is not known whether the pilot was injured.
Certain areas of White Sands National Park are currently closed to allow emergency responders to do their jobs and protect the public from possible exposure to hazardous chemicals.
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“An investigation is underway by a committee of qualified officers to determine the cause of the accident,” the 49th Wing said. “Further details will be released as they become available.”
The 49th Wing is the Air Force's largest formal F-16 and MQ-9 training unit.
The 49th Wing is responsible for training and providing combat-ready F-16 and MQ-9 Reaper pilots and sensor operators. It also supports more than 21,000 military and civilian personnel by providing air-transportable clinics and basic expeditionary airfield resources.
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They can be deployed around the world whenever called upon to support peacetime and wartime emergencies.
Holloman is also home to the world's longest and fastest (close to 10,000 feet per second, or Mach 9) test track. There, the 846th Test Squadron set a world record for railcar land speed of 6,453 mph (Mach 8.5).
Today's incident was the first F-16 crash in the United States since an Oklahoma Air National Guard F-16 crashed in Louisiana in March 2022. The pilot also ejected and survived.