F-16 fra Luke havarert nær Bagdad, Az. - AVweb

Air Force F-16 Crashes In Arizona, Search For Pilot Continues

By Elaine Kauh

The student pilot of an Air Force F-16 fighter that crashed Thursday morning in western Arizona remains missing after a day-long search, according to media reports. The jet, from Luke Air Force Base near Phoenix and assigned to the 56th Fighter Wing, crashed in a hilly area about 8:45 a.m. near the small town of Bagdad. Search crews and a sheriff's helicopter were sent to search the site. The pilot was a Taiwanese Air Force student, The Associated Press reported. Brig. Gen. Scott Pleus, commander of the wing at the base, told reporters later Thursday the pilot hasn't been found. "All indications lead me to believe that the pilot did not survive the accident," he said. "But until we have 100 percent confirmation, we will continue search efforts." He said the pilot has been training at Luke for six months. A board has been assembled to begin an investigation into the cause of the crash.