TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (wtxl) - The search for an Air Force pilot is now over after hours of searching the Gulf of Mexico.
Tyndall Air Force Base, out of Panama City, says they have found the remains of a pilot who was flying an F-16 fighter jet plane.
It went missing during a routine training mission over the gulf this morning. They say base efforts will now shift from a rescue mission to a recovery operation as evidence is collected which will help to determine the cause of the crash.
A board of qualified officers has been assembled to conduct the investigation, but no additional information will be released at this time.
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TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AP) - Air Force officials say they believe an F-16 fighter jet has crashed in the Gulf of Mexico.
A news release from Tyndall Air Force Base says the jet was on a routine training mission over the Gulf Thursday morning when the Florida Panhandle base lost contact with the pilot.
Aircraft and rescue forces were immediately sent to the missing jet's last known location.
No wreckage has been found, but officials are working under the assumption that the plane went down in the water. The U.S. Coast Guard is leading the search and said in a news release that crews first responded to a location about 57 miles south of Panama City.
325 Fighter Wing Vice Commander Col. Mark O'Laughlin says in the Air Force news release that finding the pilot is the top priority.
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