Air Force pilot safely ejects before F-16 fighter jet crashes in California desert

A fighter jet with the Air Force's elite Thunderbirds demonstration squadron crashed in the Southern California desert on Wednesday, but the pilot managed to eject safely, the military said.

The pilot was being treated for non life-threatening injuries at a hospital, according to the San Bernardino County Fire Department.

The F-16C Fighting Falcon crashed around 10:45 a.m. during a training mission “over controlled airspace in California,” according to a statement from Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada.

The fire department said it had responded to an “aircraft emergency” near Trona, an unincorporated community in the Mojave Desert about 180 miles (290 kilometers) north of Los Angeles.

Wednesday's crash is under investigation and further information will be released from the 57th Wing Public Affairs Office, the Air Force statement said.