F-16 Fighting Falcon crashes in New Mexico National Park

LOS ANGELES, United States: A U.S. F-16 Fighting Falcon crashed Tuesday in a national park in New Mexico, the Air Force said.

Holloman Air Force Base announced on its Facebook page that the pilot of an F-16 fighter jet ejected before the supersonic plane crashed in White Sands National Park.

The lone pilot, who has not yet been identified, was transported for treatment.

“All non-emergency personnel should avoid the area to avoid possible exposure to hazardous chemicals on board the aircraft,” Holloman AFB added.

Rescue teams were dispatched to the area and investigations into the incident began.

The statement said that the investigation by the competent police council continues to determine the cause of this incident.

The national park is surrounded by the White Sands Missile Range, a large area controlled by the US military where hundreds of weapons and missile tests are conducted every year.

This area was the site of the Trinity test, the first atomic bomb explosion in history, in 1945.

The F-16 Fighting Falcon is a single-engine supersonic aircraft originally developed for the United States military in the 1970s.

White Sands National Park is a 230 square kilometer park known for its gypsum-filled sand dunes that can grow up to 18 meters high.

Hundreds of thousands of tourists visit it every year.