The pilot of a fighter jet owned and operated by a military contractor died when the plane crashed in a northeastern neighborhood in Las Vegas on Monday afternoon.
The Draken-US plane, identified as the Dassault Aviation Mirage F-1 fighter, crashed shortly before 2:30 p.m. for unknown reasons in a residential area south of the base. The unidentified pilot was the only person on board Nelli’s press release, according to a.
Draken US, a Florida-based company, has been tasked with providing “enemy air support” to the US Air Force from Nellis since 2015. This is evident from the company’s press release and website.
The Clark County Fire Department crews were called at 2:19 p.m. to 2245 N. Christy Lane, a house near East Lake Mead and North Nellis Boulevards, about the crash. County real estate records show the house is owned by Jose Villanueva, who purchased the property in 2012.
Villanueva called the Las Vegas Review journal about an hour after the crash and said, “It was scary to be honest with you. It was a very, very, very, very strong sound. “
Villanueva said no one was injured in his home. He described the plane that crashed into his garden and the yard of his uncle’s house next door.
Immediately after the crash, thick, dark smoke was visible from the scene. Las Vegas police and several federal agencies responded. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating.
‘Tragic accident’
Draken US in a statement on Monday evening confirmed the death of its pilot, calling it a “tragic accident”.
“Our thoughts and prayers are directed to the people and families affected by this event,” the statement said. “We are doing everything in our power to assist them in this time of need and we are working closely with federal, state and local authorities.”
In the Nellis press release, the base officials wrote: “The men and women of Team Nellis offer our deepest condolences to our Draken wingman’s teammates, friends and family.”
Governor Steve Sisolak offered his support on Twitter.
“Kathy and I pray for everyone involved in today’s incident – especially the men and women of @NellisAFB and the first responders,” reads the post referring to Nevada’s First Lady Kathy Sisolak.
In a statement Monday evening, Clark County Commission Chairwoman Marilyn Kirkpatrick, whose district includes Nellis and the neighborhood where the jet crashed, said she was “incredibly sad” because of the crash.
“Our hearts go out to the pilot’s family and friends and the larger Nellis AFB family,” the statement continued. “Today’s tragedy is a reminder of the important work that is done every day in Nellis in defense of our nation.”
Testimony
About half a mile from the crash site, the release of students from Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary was delayed by about 15 to 20 minutes at the end of the day, a Clark County school district spokesman said. According to the school’s website, students are typically discharged at 3:11 p.m. No further information was available.
Before the crash, 16-year-old Anthony Milano was taking photos of fighter jets overhead near Nellis when he heard emergency calls on his air traffic scanner.
“We thought it was a house fire,” he said of the smoke on the street.
Suddenly, Milano said, fire engines stormed out of the base, reacting to what he recognized as one of the fighter jets he’d photographed.
Joe Flores was working on his motorcycle in his garage about a mile from the crash site when he heard a typical sound that was associated with life in the Northeast Valley: planes rumbling low-flying circling the area.
Then he heard a loud explosion but didn’t think much about it until a cousin called nearby about the crash and asked if he was okay.
“There are three or four of them that fly this low every day,” he said of planes in the area. “I always hope they don’t hit a house or the little kids that run around here.”
In 2016, a Draken-operated attack jet from the Vietnam War crashed about a mile from Nellis Air Force Base. The pilot at the time fled and survived with non-life-threatening injuries.
The aircraft was a Douglas A-4K Skyhawk returning from a weapons training mission over the Nevada Test and Training Range north of Las Vegas along with another A-4.
“All of these pilots are highly skilled,” Drakens then director of business development for US Air Force Programs told the Review Journal in 2016. “We are all former Air Force, Navy and Navy fighter pilots with extensive experience.”
On June 28, 2011, Captain Eric Ziegler was killed when his F-16C, flying out of Nellis, crashed on public land near the test and training area.
Air Force investigators later concluded in a report that the 30-year-old pilot suffered a power outage due to high gravitational forces before his fighter jet crashed in rough terrain 20 miles west of Caliente in Lincoln County.
Contact Sabrina Schnur at sschnur@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0278. Follow @sabrina_schnur on Twitter. Contact Jonah Dylan at jdylan@reviewjournal.com. Follow @TheJonahDylan on Twitter. Review Journal contributor Rio Lacanlale contributed to this report.
