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...
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family members of our fallen teammate as they struggle through this extremely difficult time.
