Emergency crews responded near Trona, an unincorporated community in the Mojave Desert about 180 miles (290 kilometers) north of Los Angeles. The incident comes three years after a Navy F/A-18E Super Hornet crashed in the same area in 2022, killing its pilot.

The Air Force said the crash is under investigation, with further details to be released by the 57th Wing Public Affairs Office.

The Thunderbirds, formed in 1953, are known for their precision flying and tight formations at air shows, often maneuvering within inches of each other. They train seasonally out of Nellis Air Force Base near Las Vegas, where aircraft such as the F-16 Falcon, F-22 Raptor, and A-10 Warthog are based.

Source: Trona, Calif. — AP & XAirForces News, 05 December 2025

Photo: USAF Thunderbirds F-16Cs Air Show in Izmir, Türkiye in 05 06 2011. (Photo by ©XAirForces / Hüseyin Tüfekci )

Editor: Hüseyin Tüfekci (©XAirForces Aerospace Industry and Space Technologies

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