F-16 fighter jet crashes in Southern California

Tyler Durden
ZeroHedge
Wed, 03 Dec 2025 03:11 UTC

© Lauren Clevenger/USAF

USAF Demonstration Squadron 'Thunderbirds' February 2025

Southern California's ABC7 reports that an F-16 fighter jet has crashed near Naval Air Weapons Station (NAWS) China Lake.

Breaking911 has posted what appear to be images of the aftermath of the jet crash.

"F-16 Thunderbird 5 photographed with its last takeoff before it crashed in Trona, CA. Insane to see six of them take off from Nellis and only five returned. I'll try to post the images later of the Thunderbird's last takeoff. This is just a picture of the screen from my camera," photographer Kelvin Cheng wrote on X.

Comment: Details regarding this crash incident:

An Air Force Thunderbird pilot ejected safely from an F-16C Fighting Falcon aircraft Wednesday during a training mission over controlled airspace in California. The pilot is in stable condition and receiving follow-on care, the Air Force said. The jet crashed at about 10:45 a.m. PST near the airport in Trona, Calif., about 27 miles from Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake., about 130 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles. The unpopulated desert area is a major live weapons firing range used by all services.

Edwards Air Force Base said it was sending an environmental response team to the crash site to deal with any toxic materials, including highly flammable hydrazine, which is used in the F-16 Emergency Power Unit (EPU). In the event of an engine flameout, the EPU is activated to push the hydrazine through the system to maintain power and control. The F-16's ejection seat uses a solid propellant rocket to propel the pilot out of the cockpit. Hydrazine emits fumes that are highly toxic and require decontamination.

The San Bernardino County Fire Department reported it was responding with resources from Station 57 to an "aircraft emergency" near the San Bernardino and Inyo County lines. The Thunderbirds were created in 1953, seven years after the United States Navy Demonstration Flight Squadron, known as "the Blue Angels," was formed in 1946. The Thunderbirds have experienced crashes during their history, though the last fatal incident occurred in 2018.