LAS VEGAS, June 29 (UPI) -- Air Force authorities say they are searching for the pilot of an F-16 C jet that took off from Nellis Air Force Base and crashed north of Las Vegas.
Nellis base authorities say the plane and another jet took off around 5:30 p.m. Tuesday on a training mission to conduct a simulated one-on-one dogfight with no active weapons, KLAS-TV, Las Vegas, reported Wednesday.
Details of the crash about 150 miles north of Las Vegas were sketchy and the Air Force has not released the pilot's name.
The $18.8 million F-16C Fighting Falcon jet crashed near Caliente, the Las Vegas Sun reported.
"We have already started an investigation into this mishap, but we are very early in this investigation. For the next several weeks, a trained safety investigation board will collect and protect evidence from the scene and gather and analyze all relevant data with the specific purpose of determining the cause so we can prevent future mishaps," Brig. Gen. T.J. O'Shaughnessy said.
About 42,000 training missions are flown out of Nellis annually but the Air Force said the base has suspended all air training until further notice. They want to figure out what happened, but most importantly they want to find their pilot, KLAS-TV reported.
"Our focus right now is the recovery of the pilot, and then we will continue to try to learn from this mishap and make sure that we provide a very safe environment for our local community," O'Shaughnessy said.
