An F-16 from the USAF Weapons School at Nellis AFB, Nev., crashed Monday night about 8:50 p.m. near the end of the runway as it came in to land at the Tonopah Test Range Airfield, Nev. The pilot ejected safely. It was the second crash of an F-16 on the same day; on Monday an F-16 went down off the Florida coast. The Air Force has not identified the Nellis pilot, who was flying a night training mission over the Nevada Test and Training Range.
Airmen basic rarely go on to become four-star generals, but one who did retired last week after a 42 year career that saw him rise from a lowly slick-sleeve to the head of one of the Air Force’s most important major commands.