An F-16 Fighting Falcon from Holloman AFB has crashed in New Mexico this afternoon.
The incident occurred near White Sands National Park just before noon local time, according to a statement from the 49th Wing.
The pilot survived, but the cause of the crash is unknown
The pilot was able to eject and survived. They were then transported by ambulance for medical care. It’s unknown whether or not the pilot was injured.
Certain area of White Sands National Park are currently closed, to allow emergency crews to do their jobs and protect the public from potential exposure to hazardous chemicals.
“An investigation conducted by a board of qualified officers is underway to determine the cause of the incident,” said the 49th Wing. “Additional details will be released as they become available.”
The 49th Wing is the Air Force’s largest F-16 and MQ-9 formal training unit
The 49th Wing is responsible for training and providing combat-ready F-16 and MQ-9 Reaper pilots and sensor operators. They also deliver Air Transportable Clinics and Basic Expeditionary Airfield Resources, supporting more than 21,000 military and civilian personnel.
They can deploy worldwide whenever called upon, to support peacetime and wartime contingencies.
Holloman is also home to the world’s longest and fastest (approaching 10,000 feet per second, or Mach 9) test track. The 846th Test Squadron set the world land speed record there for a railed vehicle at 6,453 mph (Mach 8.5).
Today’s incident was the first F-16 crash in the United States since March of 2022, when an Oklahoma Air National Guard F-16 crashed in Louisiana. That pilot also ejected and survived.
