'Armament Package' Secured In F-16 Fighter Jet Crash; 215 Freeway Reopens
MARCH AIR RESERVE BASE (CBSLA) — An F-16 fighter jet that crashed near March Air Reserve Base in Moreno Valley was carrying a "standard armament" package that is now back in the hands of the U.S. military, officials said Friday.
Col. Thomas McNamara, vice commander of the 452nd Air Mobility Wing at March Air Reserve Base did not provide any details as to what types of weaponry was aboard but said that the armaments have been recovered from the jet.
The "standard armament package" is expected to be disposed of by later Friday afternoon, McNamara said.
Sources told CBS News the jet was armed with air-to-air missiles.
Three trauma patients were still in the hospital Friday - none of them in life-threatening condition - and ten others have been released after a fighter jet assigned to the 114th Fighter Wing of Sioux Falls, South Dakota crashed into the civilian warehouse at about 3:45 p.m. during a training mission for the North American Aerospace Defense Command.
The pilot ejected from the plane just before the crash and was able to walk away. Officials say he's currently in stable condition.
A portion of the 215 Freeway was reopen following a near 24-hour closure in the area.
The owner of the warehouse told CBS2 that the timing of the crash was rather fortunate, because several workers had just left the area 10 minutes before the fighter jet punched its way into the building.
The building's sprinklers immediately deployed and put out the flames that erupted from the crash.
"Incidents like this are very complex," Col. McNamara said. "Again, as I mentioned earlier, our safety is our priority, our No. 1 priority at this point."
The plane remains where it crashed going on 24 hours later. A three-quarter-mile evacuation zone is being maintained and several surrounding roadways remain closed:
- Meridian Parkway between Alessandro and Van Buren boulevards
- 215 Freeway in both directions between Cactus Avenue and Harley Knox Boulevard
- Van Buren Boulevard between Village West Drive and the 215 Freeway
Metrolink's 91/PV line is also shut down between Moreno Valley and downtown Perris. Businesses in the area have been forced to shut down until further notice, along with the Riverside National Cemetery, where 30 ceremonies scheduled for Friday had to be moved elsewhere. No homes were impacted.
