The pilot of an F-16C Falcon ejected safely Monday night near the Tonopah Test Range Airfield before his fighter jet crashed at the end of the runway as the aircraft approached it, a Nellis Air Force Base spokesman said.
The spokesman, Capt. Justin McVay, said the crash occurred at 8:50 p.m. at the airfield, 20 miles southeast of Tonopah.
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He said the pilot, a major who is an instructor pilot for the Air Force Weapons School at Nellis, was rescued by the Tonopah Test Range Fire Department and checked at a medical facility. His name was not released.
There were no reports of any injuries or damage to property on the ground, McVay said Tuesday.
He said investigators for an Air Force accident board and a safety board will investigate the crash.
The aircraft, assigned to the 16th Weapons Squadron, was flying a night training mission over the restricted Nevada Test and Training Range, which includes Nellis Air Force Range, the Nevada Test Site and the Tonopah Test Range. The Tonopah Test Range Airfield is 212 miles northwest of Nellis Air Force Base.
McVay said the plane was not carrying any live munitions.
The Weapons School runs the Air Force's graduate- level pilot training program.
F-16C Falcons are designed for air-to-air combat and air-to-surface attack missions. They cost $18.8 million in 1998, according to an Air Force fact sheet.
Earlier Monday, another F-16 went down off the Florida Keys during a training mission. That pilot, a member of the Air Force Reserve, also ejected safely and was rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard.
