According to a United States Air Force spokesman and their press desk, a U-2 spy plane has crashed in northern California, around 9 a.m. (on the West Coast). It was amid a training mission.
The spokesman, Lt. Col. Michael Meredith, while in Washington, DC, also disclosed that both pilots operating the behemoth ejected.
There is now a search and rescue operation underway to locate the two airmen.
Initial report: U-2 crashed in Sutter, Calif. – unpopulated area. 2 Pilots safely ejected/awaiting recovery with aircraft in isolated area.
— Air Combat Command (@USAF_ACC) September 20, 2016
The plane’s home is at Beale Air Force Base in the Golden State.
UPDATE: The Air Force has announced that one pilot is dead, and the other is injured. No names, as of yet, have been released.
One pilot has been reported dead in Tuesday's U-2 spy plane crash. https://t.co/OWs5vGOlO9 pic.twitter.com/BfUYk1I9yY
— Jalopnik (@Jalopnik) September 21, 2016
Stay tuned to the blog for more on this developing story.