F-16 crashes in southeastern Arizona, officials say

SAFFORD, Ariz. -- An F-16 fighter jet crashed in southeastern Arizona Tuesday afternoon, Arizona Air National Guard officials said. The pilot was killed, according to the Graham County Sheriff's Office.

The crash occurred about 20 miles northwest of Safford, Arizona, the officials said. Safford is about 165 miles southeast of Phoenix. 

The Fighting Falcon was assigned to the Arizona Guard's 162nd Wing. The unit is based at Tucson International Airport and serves as the Air National Guard's lead F-16 pilot training unit.

The Air Force activated a team to investigate the crash, which was  the second involving an F-16 Fighting Falcon flying from the 162nd Wing and the third F-16 crash in Arizona since mid-2015. 

The 162nd Wing tweeted first word of the crash: