Photo: Getty Images
Video footage shared online shows a military plane crashing in San Bernardino County, California, near Death Valley, California, Wednesday (December 3) morning.
The clip, which was shared by the @DisasterAlert2 X account, showed a suspected F-16C Fighting Falcon jet flown by the Thunderbirds -- the U.S. Air Force's official aerial demonstration team -- crash on a dry lake bed located next to Trona Airport. The pilot was reported to have ejected successfully and was evaluated at a hospital in Ridgecrest for minor injuries, according to the account.
"An F-16C Fighting Falcon - U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds - crashed on a dry lake bed adjacent to Trona Airport in San Bernardino County, California, south of Death Valley. The pilot ejected successfully, sustaining only minor injuries, and was transported to a hospital in Ridgecrest for evaluation," the @DisasterAlert2 X account wrote.
It wasn't immediately clear what led to the crash as of Wednesday. The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Office confirmed that it received a call from a witness at 10:28 a.m. local time via the New York Post.
The U.S. Air Force F-16C Fighting Falcon is estimated to be valued at around $20 million. The China Lake Police Department and Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake in Ridgecrest are both handling the ongoing investigation into the crash.
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