A US Air Force F-16 jet crashed at South Carolina's Shaw Air Base during a "routine training mission", killing the pilot, the Air Force (USAF) announced in a statement. The incident occurred around nine p.m. Eastern Standard Time.
"One pilot was killed when their F-16CM Fighting Falcon crashed," the USAF said.
The Air Force also noted that the pilot's identity "is being withheld until 24 hours after next of kin notification" and asked to avoid speculation until further details are revealed.
The cause of the F-16 jet crash was not immediately known, and an investigation into the incident has been launched.
One pilot was killed when a U.S. Air Force F-16CM Fighting Falcon assigned to Shaw Air Force Base crashed at approximately 11:30PM on June 30, 2020. At the time of the accident, the aircraft was on a routine training mission.https://t.co/p0aXaVYjpS
— U.S. Air Force (@usairforce) July 1, 2020
The F-16 had been assigned to the 20th Fighter Wing, and was conducting a routine training mission at the time of the crash, the USAF said.
The crash follows a series of incidents with US Air Force jets, as at least three planes, according to Fox News, crashed in the period from May to mid-June.
