#thunderbirds

#thunderbirds

An F-16C fighter jet exploded into a huge fireball after crashing in a desert near Death Valley on Wednesday. The pilot successfully ejected from the plane, which was part of the US Air Force's Air Demonstration Squadron, known as the Thunderbirds. Reports have indicated that the individual sustained only minor injuries and was taken to hospital in nearby Ridgecrest, California, for treatment.

The pilot safely ejected from the aircraft and was in stable condition, according to U.S. Air Force Sgt. Jovante Johnson. The F-16C Fighting Falcon was assigned to the Air Force Thunderbirds, an aerial acrobatic demonstration team based at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada, Johnson said in an email. The crash took place at around 10:45 a.m. during a training mission, he wrote. The cause of the crash is under investigation.