On Thursday, May 16th an F-16 fighter jet crashed into a warehouse in Los Angeles leaving several people inside the business injured.
According to a story filed by Reuters, the pilot was making a routine flight out of March Air Reserve Base in Riverside. The jet was conducting a training mission for North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), military officials said in a statement.
During the exercise, the pilot had to eject from his aircraft, causing it to crash into a warehouse in an industrial area of Riverside located along the freeway at approximately 3:30 p.m.
In a statement issued to KMBC in Los Angeles, March Air Reserve Base Deputy Fire Chief Timothy Holliday indicated that the pilot reported to air traffic controllers a hydraulic failure with his plane. “He started losing control of the aircraft,” Holliday said.
An official at the base, Major Perry Covington, told reporters that the pilot ejected safely and was taken to an area hospital for evaluation. A small fire started after the crash but was put out.
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Five people who were inside the warehouse at the time of the crash were reported to have been injured. No further information as to their identities or current condition has been issued. Military authorities removed live ammunition that was on board the aircraft, but the wreckage of the jet was still inside the warehouse at the time of the report.
The crash is still currently under investigation by military and federal aviation investigators.
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