On the evening of December 3, a single-seat F-16C Fighting Falcon fighter jet belonging to the 412th Test Squadron at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada crashed near Trona, San Bernardino County, California. The aircraft came down approximately 15 miles northeast of Trona, in a sparsely populated area of ​​the Mojave Desert.

According to the 99th Airlift Wing Nellis press service, the pilot ejected and was quickly retrieved by a search and rescue team of HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters. The pilot suffered minor injuries, is conscious, and was transported to a nearby hospital for a full examination. His life is out of danger.

The crash occurred during a scheduled training flight over the training ground. The plane's wreckage is scattered over an area of ​​approximately 300 meters.

This is the third incident involving an F-16 at Nellis Air Force Base in the last five years and the second in 2025. The cause of the accident has not yet been determined: an investigation commission has been established, including representatives from the Air Force, Lockheed Martin, and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).