US Air Force loses 2nd F-16 in 2 weeks as fighter jet crashed at New Mexico base

The crash occurred at around 6pm local time on Monday. The sole pilot ejected safely and suffered “minor injuries,” the airbase said in a short statement. An emergency response team was deployed at the crash site. The plane was assigned to the 49th Wing.

The incident is the second USAF F-16 loss in two weeks. On June 30, a pilot was killed in a training flight crash at Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina.

Other types of aircraft have been lost by the USAF in recent months as well. In mid-June, an F-15C crashed in the North Sea during an exercise after taking off from a base near London, also killing its pilot.

In May, an F-35 and an F-22 were lost in separate incidents in Florida. The pilots successfully ejected on both occasions.