<br /><br />A Lockheed Martin F-16 fighter jet from the United States Air Force (USAF) Thunderbirds demonstration team crashed on Tuesday near Trona Airfield (TRH) in California.<br /><br />The aircraft involved in the accident was F-16 serial number 5, part of the official formation of the aerobatic squadron.<br /><br />Shortly before the incident, the team’s six aircraft had taken off from Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada, located roughly 250 km east of the crash site, to conduct a routine training flight.<br /><br />Images shared on social media and by observers in the California desert show that the pilot managed to activate the ejection system just moments before impact.<br /><br />Source and images: United States Air Force (USAF)
