Pilot ‘ejected safely’ from military plane crash in Arizona, US Air Force says

‘I’m grateful nobody was hurt on the ground and the pilot was safely recovered with only minor injuries,’ says Brigadier General Gregory Kreuder

(fox 10)

Authorities say no one was hurt after a US military plane crashed in Buckeye, Arizona.

Luke Air Force Base says one of its planes, a Mirage F1 fighter, went down at about 11:11am on Thursday during a “routine training mission.” Miraculously, the area where the plane crashed was unpopulated, and no one was killed.

“The pilot was able to safely eject,” the base said in a statement on Thursday. “The cause of the incident is under investigation.”

US Air Force officials said the pilot sustained only “minor injuries.”

Brigadier General Gregory Kreuder, who commands the fleet at Luke Air Force Base, said he was grateful no one was seriously hurt, but called the crash a “difficult situation.”

“Our Airmen and partners are our most important resource and we are committed to conducting our mission to train the world’s greatest fighter pilots as safely as possible,” the commander said. “We are thankful for the continued outstanding support Luke receives from our community partners, especially during difficult situations like this. Finally, I’m grateful nobody was hurt on the ground and the pilot was safely recovered with only minor injuries.”

Officials say the F1 crashed about 15 miles northwest of the base.

That matches the reporting of Arizona’s Family, which said the aircraft went down in the Sun City Festival development area, near Sun Valley Parkway and Canyon Springs Boulevard.

The Federal Aviation Administration has restricted flights within five miles of the “aircraft accident,” AZ Family reported.

The Independent has reached out to the FAA for more information.