An F-16 Viper taking off on a training mission out of Luke AFB, Ariz., crashed near Phoenix Tuesday at 9:51 a.m., according to Air Force officials. The pilot, Capt. Jason Attaway, 26, of Dallas, ejected safely. Attaway, with the 62nd Fighter Squadron at Luke, had just taken off for a routine training flight and, within two miles of Luke, the F-16 crashed.
The U.S. began extensive air and artillery strikes against Islamic State group targets in Syria on Dec. 19 in retaliation for the killing of three Americans on Dec. 13 by a gunman affiliated with ISIS, U.S. officials said.
