The pilot of a crashed F-16 fighter jet in northern Arizona was a student at Luke Air Force Base from the Taiwanese Air Force.
Human remains have been found at the crash site, the military said Thursday night. Luke Air Force Base officials expressed fears earlier that the pilot may have been killed in the crash Thursday morning in a remote area of northwest Arizona.
The crash happened during routine combat training between two aircraft. He was the only one in the fighter jet when it crashed.
Commander at Luke Air Force Base Brig. Gen. Scott Pleus said the Yavapai and Maricopa county sheriff’s departments helped find the crash site.
"The terrain around it is fairly flat so getting to the crash-site itself wasn’t that difficult, however finding the crash site took us a few hours,” Pleus said.
Pleus said the student’s family is a priority.
“Our focus right now is about the family and making sure that they’re supported,” he said.
The student had been training at Luke Air Force Base for six months.
Associated Press contributed to this story.
Updated 1/22/2016 at at 9:00 a.m.
