Pilot ejects to safety from jet that crashes in Nevada near Fallon Naval Air Station

Pilot ejects from jet that crashes in Nevada

FALLON, Nev. — Navy officials say a jet has crashed shortly after takeoff from the Fallon Naval Air Station, and the pilot ejected to safety.

Base spokesman Zip Upham says the pilot was taken to a Fallon hospital with non-life-threatening injuries Thursday. His name wasn’t immediately released.

Upham says the pilot is an employee of a Navy contractor that owned the A-4 Skyhawk, a jet once used by the military.

The contractor, Aircraft Tactical Advantage Co., simulates enemy aircraft for Navy pilots during training exercises.

Upham says the jet burst into flames after crashing into a field off Crook Road within a mile of the base’s airfield.

He says he expects the crash to be investigated by federal authorities because it’s a civilian plane.