Officials are investigating the cause of last week’s crash of an F-16C from the California Air National Guard’s 144th Fighter Wing in Fresno. The F-16 went down in the California desert on Dec. 27 during a routine mission. The pilot safely ejected, was taken to a local medical facility, but then released on that same day, wing spokesman SMSgt. Chris Drudge told the Daily Report on Jan. 3. Fresno’s KMPH TV New Station 26 reported that the pilot encountered trouble with the fighter while flying at 12,000 feet in altitude. Drudge said the wing held an internal safety standdown on the day after the mishap, except for the unit’s F-16s on alert to protect US skies from unauthorized intrusion.
A provision in the fiscal 2025 defense policy bill will require the Defense Department to include the military occupational specialty of service members who die by suicide in its annual report on suicide deaths, though it remains to be seen how much data the department will actually disclose.