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U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds jet crashes near Death Valley, pilot survives
By Alex Wigglesworth - Staff Writer
- An F-16 fighter jet from the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds crashed Wednesday near Trona.
- The pilot ejected and was in stable condition.
An F-16 fighter jet crashed in the desert town of
Trona on Wednesday, authorities said.
The pilot safely ejected from the aircraft and was in stable condition, according to U.S. Air Force Sgt. Jovante Johnson. The F-16C Fighting Falcon was assigned to the Air Force Thunderbirds, an aerial acrobatic demonstration team based at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada, Johnson said in an email.
The crash took place at around 10:45 a.m. during a training mission, he wrote. The cause of the crash is under investigation.
A motorist, Darren Springer, 60, said he was driving south out of Death Valley when he saw an explosion that sent up a thick plume of black smoke. “My heart sank,” he said.
He looked through a pair of binoculars and saw the wreckage of a fighter jet strewn across the desert floor at the edge of the Searles dry lake. That was followed by a response from “just about every emergency vehicle you could imagine,” he said.
Before the crash, Springer saw at least four Thunderbirds flying low over the area, he said.
The crash took place about 20 miles from the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, the Navy’s largest base and a hub for developing and testing weapons.
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-12-03/military-plane-crashes-near-death-valley
NTSB Prelim: Extra Flugzeugproduktions EA 300/SC
The Pilot Appeared To Regain Control After Six Rotations And Attempted To “Fly Out” Inverted But Had Insufficient Altitude
Location: Keystone Heights, FL Accident Number: ERA26FA034
Date & Time: November 8, 2025, 10:15 Local Registration: N330SL
Aircraft: Extra Flugzeugproduktions EA 300/SC Injuries: 1 Fatal
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal
On November 8, 2025, at 1038 eastern standard time, an Extra 330/SC, N330SL, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Keystone Heights, Florida. The private pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 flight.
The owner of the airplane flew the airplane from St. Augustine, Florida, to Keystone Heights Airport (42J), Keystone Heights, Florida, on the morning of the accident to use the aerobatic box located at 42J. The airplane owner stated that he, along with a few other pilots, planned to practice their aerobatic routines for an upcoming competition. The owner said he flew his practice routine first and reported no issues with the airplane. After he landed, the airplane was refueled, and another pilot boarded the airplane and departed for his practice flight.
The airplane owner said he watched the pilot’s entire routine and witnessed the accident. He said the pilot entered the aerobatic box and performed a “warm up figure” which was a lay down figure eight. He then climbed to approximately 3, 500 ft. mean sea level (msl) and reentered the aerobatic box and executed the first three maneuvers “very precisely.” The third figure ended with a vertical climb with two quarter rolls in the middle of the climb and ended by laying out inverted in preparation for the next maneuver which began with a 1 ¼ inverted spin. The airplane entered the inverted spin; however, it did not stop at the 1 ¼ position as expected.
The owner said the airplane spun another ½ -turn, before the pilot was able to stop the turn with the nose of the airplane pointed nose down about 30 degrees; however, the airplane rapidly accelerated into a flat inverted spin to the left. The airplane owner said the pilot appeared to regain control after six rotations and attempted to “fly out” inverted but had insufficient altitude to do so. The airplane re-entered the spin and impacted the ground inverted.
A preliminary review of airport surveillance video revealed the airplane’s engine could be heard being advanced to full power prior to the airplane coming into view. When the airplane came into view it was in an inverted flat spin to the left. The airplane made three rotations before it rolled upright about 100 ft. above the ground. The airplane then nosed over and impacted the ground inverted. A postimpact fire consumed the airplane.
The wreckage was retained for further investigation.
FMI: www.ntsb.gov
Today in History
48 Years ago today: On 4 December 1977 MAS flight 653, a Boeing 737-200, crashed near Tanjong Kupang, Malaysia, after being hijacked, killing all 100 occupants.
| Date: | Sunday 4 December 1977 |
| Time: | 20:36 LT |
| Type: | Boeing 737-2H6 |
| Owner/operator: | Malaysian Airlines System - MAS |
| Registration: | 9M-MBD |
| MSN: | 20585/306 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1972 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 12684 hours |
| Engine model: | P&W JT8D-15 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 100 / Occupants: 100 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed, written off |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | near Tanjong Kupang - Malaysia |
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Passenger - Scheduled |
| Departure airport: | Penang International Airport (PEN/WMKP) |
| Destination airport: | Kuala Lumpur Subang International Airport (KUL/WMKK) |
| Confidence Rating: | Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
Narrative:
MAS flight 653, a Boeing 737-200, crashed near Tanjong Kupang, Malaysia, after being hijacked, killing all 100 occupants.
Flight MH653 departed Penang, Malaysia at 19:21 hours on a domestic flight to Kuala Lumpur. While descending through an altitude of 4000 feet towards Kuala Lumpur, the crew reported that the plane was hijacked. The hijacker demanded to be flown to Singapore.
The aircraft climbed to FL210 and proceeded to Singapore. En route to Singapore, the hijacker reportedly shot both pilots and then himself. The cockpit voice recordings indicate noises suggestive of the cockpit door being broken in, along with a reasonable amount of screaming and cursing. No noises are heard from within the cockpit to indicate any of the three occupants were conscious. The autopilot was then disconnected, possibly due to a pitch input by someone entering the cockpit and trying to control the aircraft. An investigator speculated that someone pulled back on the column, causing a pitch up, followed by an oscillation. This rapidly developed into a high amplitude phugoid oscillation that resulted in a rapid dive. The 737 crashed into a swamp and disintegrated.
Cause
The accident was caused by the fatal incapacitation of the crew by the hijackers resulting in the aircraft being left in the descent to impact without any professional control.
