Search crews have recovered the body of the airman whose F-16 military jet crashed Thursday into the Gulf of Mexico.
The F-16 Fighting Falcon was assigned to the 53rd Weapons Evaluation Group. The aircraft was taking part in a routine training mission over the Gulf of Mexico when Tyndall Air Force Base lost contact with the pilot around 9:15 a.m.
Air Force officials announced the recovery of the pilot's remains on Tyndall Air Force Base's Facebook page at around 10:00 p.m. EST on Thursday. They say an investigation is now underway as to the cause of the accident:
Base efforts will now shift from that of a rescue mission to a recovery operation as evidence is collected to help in determining the cause of the crash...<br><br>Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family members of our fallen teammate as they struggle through this extremely difficult time.
