The pilot of a U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds F-16C Fighting Falcon is in a stable condition after ejecting from the aircraft before it crashed into a lakebed near Trona, California.

Reports first emerged of the Nov. 3, 2025 crash from local news and aviation enthusiasts, with many details at the time remaining unconfirmed. Eyewitnesses said they had seen the parachute from the ejection seat deploy, while the aircraft itself crashed into the ground and exploded.

This was then corroborated by images posted on social media.

Shortly after, at 20:41 UTC (12:41 local time), an official statement was released by the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds display team via social media. It confirmed that an incident had taken place at approximately 10:45 local time, noting that the pilot successfully eject

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