Iraqi F-16 Crashes in Arizona

An Iraqi Air Force F-16 assigned to the Arizona National Guard’s 162nd Fighter Wing for foreign pilot training crashed near Douglas, Ariz., on the state’s southern border, during a Thursday night training sortie, reported The Arizona Republic. The jet crashed approximately five miles from the small Douglas Municipal Airport on the US-Mexican border at 8 p.m. local time, June 25, according to an ANG release. Emergency responders controlled a brush fire started by the crash, according to the press, but the single pilot’s status is unreleased. The downed aircraft was reportedly a Block 52 F-16D—the first delivered to Iraq, according to an F-16.net report. Iraq ordered a total of 36 F-16C/Ds. The cause of the incident is under investigation, and details will be released as they become available, officials stated.