Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

F-15 crashes north of Las Vegas, no injuries reported

Updated Monday, Oct. 24, 2011 | 10:04 p.m.

A U.S. Air Force jet crashed around 4:45 p.m. today about 100 miles north of Nellis Air Force Base.

The F-15C Eagle aircraft plummeted just northwest of Alamo, Nev., on federal land, said Lt. Ken Lustig, an Air Force spokesman.

The pilot ejected from the plane and is uninjured, officials said.

According to officials, the pilot was picked up by military helicopter about 30 minutes after the crash and taken to the Mike O’Callaghan Federal Hospital for examination.

Lincoln County Sheriff Kerry Lee said a citizen reported seeing a large explosion and fireball about five miles west of U.S. Highway 93 shortly after 4 p.m.

"It was out in the desert, really hard to get to," Lee said. Upon arrival deputies found a debris field about 100 yards long.

"It didn't look like the plane slammed into the ground," the sheriff said. "There was a lot of the plane left, but it burned up."

There is no outstanding threat, Air Force officials said. The incident is under investigation.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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