An F-16 military jet crashed near Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico, just before noon local time on Tuesday, a U.S. official confirmed to Fox News.
According to the official, the pilot of the plane was able to eject from the aircraft before it went down.
Holloman Air Force Base officials said the U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon assigned to the 49th Wing, crashed west of the base near White Sands National Park at about 11:50 a.m.
PILOT REPORTED THAT PLANE CARRYING FUEL CAUGHT ON FIRE BEFORE FATAL ALASKA CRASH
The pilot who ejected was the sole occupant on board, and was transported by ambulance to receive medical treatment.
Officials urged non-emergency personnel to avoid the area to prevent any possible exposure to hazardous chemicals that were on the aircraft.
Crews are responding to the crash scene using an entrance road into the national park.
While White Sands National Park is open to the public, some areas have been closed off because of the emergency response.
For more information about the park’s closures, visit www.nps.gov/whsa/planyourvisit/conditions.htm.
An investigation is underway to determine what caused the crash.
The base is located about five miles west of Alamogordo, New Mexico.
This is the third U.S. F-16 crash in the last six months.
An F-16 crashed off the coast of South Korea in December during a training mission and another F-16 crashed off the coast of South Korea in January also during a training mission.
