WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The cause of the crash was still unknown and there was no initial report about whether the pilot survived, the report added.
"An F-16 Fighting Falcon assigned to the 56th Fighter Wing at Luke Air Force Base [AFB], Arizona, crashed at approximately 8:45 a.m. today north of Luke AFB in the vicinity of Bagdad, Arizona," the report stated.
The aging F-16 Fighting Falcon has been in service with the US Air Force since 1978. More than 4,500 of the aircraft have been built since production was approved in 1976. Advanced versions of the F-16 jet are still being built for export to other countries.
