6/28/2011 - NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. -- A U.S. Air Force F-16C Fighting Falcon aircraft crashed about 5:30 p.m. today near Caliente, Nev. The F-16, from Nellis Air Force Base, was participating in an air-to-air combat training mission.
One person was on board. The individual's condition is unknown at this time.
As soon as additional details become available, they will be provided. The accident is under investigation.
The pilot of a U.S. Air Force F-16C Fighting Falcon jet that crashed near Caliente earlier this week didn't survive, officials at Nellis Air Force Base said on June 30th.
U.S. Air Force officials said search and rescue teams found conclusive evidence that the pilot didn't eject from the aircraft before the crash, which occurred about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday about 20 miles west of Caliente on Bureau of Land Management property.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the pilot’s immediate family, Air Force family, and friends during this difficult time," Brig. Gen. T.J. O’Shaughnessy, 57th Wing commander, said in a statement.
The pilot was Air Force Capt. Eric Ziegler, 30, a 1999 graduate of West Fargo High School in North Dakota.
Ziegler leaves behind a 9-month-old daughter and his wife, Sarah, a North Dakota native who also works for the Air Force in Las Vegas.