An Air Force Thunderbirds fighter jet crashed on Wednesday in the Southern California desert. The pilot safely ejected before the plane hit the ground and went up in flames, officials said.
The F-16C Fighting Falcon crashed into a dry lake bed near Trona, California, around 10:45 a.m. during a training mission over controlled airspace, according to a statement from the Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada. Trona is an unincorporated community in the Mojave Desert, about 180 miles north of Los Angeles.
The pilot, and sole occupant of the jet, was treated at the scene for non-life-threatening injuries and taken to a local hospital. Thunderbirds said the pilot is in stable condition and receiving follow-on care…